Eyeing level playing field to cater to nation's aspirations: Priyank Kharge

The minister for IT and biotechnology and rural development and Panchayat Raj, government of Karnataka, said the state should get its share of such opportunities as it is a hub for IT services exports

Priyank Kharge, Karnataka minister for information technology, biotechnology, and rural development and panchayat raj, tells Peerzada Abrar the state should get its share of opportunities because it is a hub for information-technology (IT) services exports, technology companies, and startups.

 

What are you doing to woo industry, including large technology and semiconductor firms? 

We have unveiled the Global Capability Centre (GCC) policy, which aims to bring about 500 GCCs to Karnataka, and intend to create about 350,000 jobs. The aim is to have an economic output of $50 billion from Karnataka alone. It is a five-year policy, and I’m sure we’re going to beat that by at least a year and a half. We have launched Nipuna Karnataka, which aims to enhance the skills of local talent. I think that is what will be propelling growth for the state, like how IT-enabled services did so in the 1990s. We also launched the space tech policy for the state and are looking at applications downstream as well as upstream, using space technology. We are going to start small with startups and then slowly move to small and medium enterprises, especially in manufacturing. These two policies are going to propel Karnataka in the tech sector. There are also private institutions, including “Startup Genome” partnering the state government to help accelerate startup growth in the state.

 

You have raised concern about the lack of a level playing field in the distribution of semiconductor development across Indian states. How are you addressing these issues?

  How do you think I can address it when there is a lack of level playing field? I have to raise it with the central government and I’ve done so, and I’ve done so with you too. Print this (story) in Delhi and make it national. We are not looking for benevolence here. We are looking for a level playing field so that we are able to cater to the nation’s aspirations. When I am saying Rs 4.5 trillion is delivered as IT services exports, not one rupee is coming to the state government. It’s going to the central government. We are the startup ecosystem for India, with about 20,000 startups. Also, of the 113 unicorns (valued at over $320 billion), Karnataka hosts 45. I am not saying states such as Assam and Gujarat should not get semiconductor opportunities. But one should not arm-twist and play favourites.

 

At a time when artificial intelligence (AI) is bringing the most disruptive change the technology industry has ever witnessed, what is your AI strategy, especially around the impact it would have on jobs?

  I mentioned the Nipuna scheme. We have a solid foundation of skills with incubators, and a centre of excellence in AI and robotics. But we wanted to have AI applications in other areas and for that we have unveiled a centre of excellence. We are also making other investments in AI and e-governance initiatives. So we are building the foundation of skills, incubations, and policies around AI. I think there also we would have the first-mover advantage in some time.

 

What are the guardrails you plan to have around AI safety and security and at the same time not stifle innovation?

  That’s always a challenge with any new technology and there is always a dilemma related to ethics. As the government, we are propagating technology for the good of the people and we advocate sustainable programmes. That is something we are learning, and we are ready to learn from other ecosystems throughout the globe — for example, what the European Union and the United States are doing, with very limited success.

 

What are the plans to address issues such as deep fakes, AI-fabricated images and videos, and fake news?

  That’s a different demon altogether. We have formed a committee for misinformation, disinformation, fake news and deep fakes. It was in a sandbox environment and experimented during the elections. We have now formed a committee along with the home department. We’ll be rolling it out in a few weeks. It would be a proper model for the rest of the states to follow.

 

What is the feedback you are getting from industry leaders related to infrastructural challenges and who may be looking to move to other ecosystems? 

Tell me one company that has sat with me across the negotiating table and left Bengaluru. There is not a single company like that. The companies that have invested in Bengaluru might have diversified their investment. Nobody puts all eggs in one basket. Infrastructure is always a problem with any growing city. But that doesn’t mean we have not been doing enough. We invested Rs 4,000 crore recently in the infrastructure. We have set up a committee to sit and talk to the stakeholders and understand what their needs are. Also, food and grocery firm Swiggy’s recent initial public offering (IPO) was the sixth-largest in Indian history (and second-biggest this year). The (founders) came from outside the state.