BENGALURU: Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday announced that the government would come up with Vision Beyond Bengaluru initiative to encourage investments in other cities by offering world-class office infrastructure at highly affordable costs. He said the government will introduce the policy in the next 100 days.
Addressing CEOs from leading industries at a breakfast meeting here on Friday, Shivakumar said office space in other cities of Karnataka would be offered for as little as 50 cents per square foot and called upon industry leaders to partner with the Karnataka government in shaping the state’s next phase of growth.
Emphasising balanced regional development, Shivakumar said growth should not remain confined to Bengaluru and cities such as Mysuru, Hubballi-Dharwad, Mangaluru and Belagavi should emerge as major technology and investment destinations.
Highlighting Karnataka’s economic performance, the CM said software exports had crossed Rs 4.36 lakh crore and it is expected to exceed Rs 5.5 lakh crore this year.
He said Karnataka’s Global Capability Centres have evolved from back offices into hubs of innovation, product development and high-value work, adding that Bengaluru continues to lead India’s office market absorption.
He said the government has already rolled out new IT, space technology and startup policies focused on DeepTech, digital infrastructure, research, industry-academia collaboration and entrepreneurship. Karnataka has also launched its Quantum Roadmap to accelerate the commercialisation of emerging technologies.
Shivakumar announced that Karnataka is building an AI University in partnership with industry and recalled that he had detailed discussions with Google on this initiative and called upon the industries to take the lead. The university, he said, will serve as a centre for learning, innovation, collaboration and public digital access, with the vision of introducing AI education to rural students from Class 6 onwards.
He also announced the Bengaluru robotics and innovation zone and the Sustainable Data Centre Policy 2026-31, aimed at creating environmentally sustainable digital infrastructure supported by land, power, water, connectivity and renewable energy.
The CM urged companies to adopt one government school each under their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes to improve infrastructure, classrooms, teacher training and learning outcomes. He invited the CEOs to participate in the Bengaluru Tech Summit, scheduled to be held from November 17 to 19 at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre.
The industry bodies and leaders who participated in the breakfast meeting shared insights and recommendations on emerging opportunities, future programmes and policy initiatives to further accelerate Karnataka’s technology-led growth.
