Karnataka driving nations digital economy, says Minister Priyank Kharge

BENGALURU: Karnataka has evolved into one of the most disruptive innovation hubs in the world, powering breakthroughs from agritech to aerospace, IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge said here on Friday. Speaking at the two-day Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) India Innovation Summit Innoverge 2025, Kharge added that Karnatakas ecosystem leads globally in artificial intelligence (AI) skill penetration and research and development (R&D) output, ranking among the top five AI cities worldwide. Highlighting the states 3P model, Kharge said, Our success lies in our three Ps People, Policy and Participation. Unless we listen to people, work with industries, startups and academia, and ensure everyone participates, we cannot move forward. With 40 per cent of Indias R&D talent, 30 per cent of all Global Capability Centres, and 48 of the countrys 110 unicorns, Karnataka drives the nations digital economy. We are investing Rs 1,000 crore to build innovation clusters across Mangaluru, Mysuru, Hubballi-Dharwad and Belagavi, ensuring that the benefits of growth reach every region. Karnataka today is not competing with other states; we are competing with ourselves to create global solutions, he said.