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The Karnataka State Innovation Council (KSInC) and Google today announced the "Innovation Karnataka" initiative and presented awards to four innovators from the state.
KSInC Chairman H P Khincha said, with this initiative and support from Google, the council wants to amplify the impact of internet-driven innovation as more and more Indians come online.
"Karnataka has long been a pioneer in innovation and has driven India's incredible emergence as a world leader in technology and software. However, in these challenging economic times and a shaky global future, it is imperative that we stay ahead of the curve and consolidate our place as innovators," he said.
Google India Country Head (India Product) Lalitesh Katragadda said the recent McKinsey study states that Internet could potentially contribute up to $100 billion by 2015.
Given the extraordinary employment potential of the Internet, it is vital to create an environment where local innovators are inspired and empowered to create products with a global impact, he said.
"At Google, we believe in the power of the web to help the next billion in India connect, learn and reach their true potential. This initiative is another step towards the same direction," Katragadda said.
As part of the Innovation Karnataka initiative, four Innovation Corps - Kanaja, Sakala, mDhil and RedBus - were presented awards for using internet to make a positive difference in addressing a social, economic or community challenge.
Kanaja is an encyclopedic knowledge portal in Kannada and RedBus is an online ticket booking portal while mDhil is an online health portal and Sakala is government services portal.
Through the newly-released "Innovation Karnataka" report and selection of Innovation Corps, the partnership has identified opportunities to foster a culture of innovation and is recognising Karnataka's role models who are positively contributing to society and the economy.
