BENGALURU: The Karnataka government on Monday launched Wi-Fi services in 11 gram panchayats, with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah saying such a digital inclusion will give village-level entrepreneurs ready access to online market place for their products and services.
“It is the intention of our government to see that the last mile digital connectivity is provided in all our villages. Gender equality is of equal importance to us. Chetana is an initiative to empower the girl child with technology, exposure and mentoring,” said Siddaramaiah, after inaugurating Karnataka’s flagship event on IT and Electronics ‘BengaluruITE.biz’ here.
The three-day event, which began on Monday, is organised by the Department of Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science and Technology, Government of Karnataka, in association with Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), Bengaluru.
Siddaramaiah said, “I am happy to launch a Grand Challenge in the health sector and to inaugurate the pilot initiative of KEONICS to provide Wi-Fi connectivity to 11 gram panchayat headquarters in the state.”
The gram panchayats benefiting from this initiative include two in Mysuru, two in Tumakuru, two in Gadag, two in Ballari, two in Kalaburagi and one in Bagalkot district.
He also launched the Grand Challenge Karnataka, a government initiative under the multi-sector start-up policy to scout for new technologies or innovations that can offer solutions to some of the prevalent problems in the state. The Grand Challenge Karnataka aims to channelise innovations for social impact and in the process support the establishment and growth of start-ups.
He announced the setting up of Centres of Excellence (CoE) for the first time in new and key sectors. These centres for Aerospace, Big Data Sciences, Animation and Cyber Security with focus on R&D and Training mark an important milestone in Karnataka.
The event Spectrum will include keynote talks, conference sessions, B2B trade shows, CEO conclaves, awards functions, start-up Karnataka YESSS. It promises to be a unique blend of over 1,800 registered delegates profiling C-level executives, thought leaders, policy makers, technology experts.
R V Deshpande, Minister for LMI and Infrastructure Development, K J George, Minister for Bengaluru Development and Town Planning, and Priyank Kharge, Minister for IT, BT and Tourism, were among others who attended the event.