Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Mar 13: Minister for information technology and biotechnology Priyank Kharge stated on Wednesday that if the law and order situation in the coastal region improves, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Dakshina Kannada (DK) district could see an increase of approximately 2% within the next two years.
The minister was responding to a query raised by Mangaluru MLA Vedavyas Kamath regarding investments by IT companies in the coastal belt.
Highlighting the economic disparity between regions, the minister noted that while Bengaluru contributes nearly 39.9% to the state's GDP, Dakshina Kannada's contribution stands at just 5.4%. He emphasized that creating a conducive environment for investment is essential to bridging this significant gap and boosting the district's economic output.
Providing data on the state's industrial growth, the minister informed that 2,129 startups and companies were established in Karnataka over the last three years, generating approximately 2.5 lac jobs. During this period, the government signed five agreements in the IT sector, 13 in the technology sector, and entered into partnerships with 475 startup firms.
Furthermore, the government has executed tripartite agreements with 60 innovators, bilateral agreements with four women entrepreneurs' groups, and cooperation agreements with 27 startups.
According to reports from the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), the state's software exports have shown consistent growth. Exports stood at Rs 3.55 lac crore in 2022–23, rising to Rs 4.09 lac crore in 2023–24, and reaching Rs 4.58 lac crore in 2024–25. The total exports over the last three years amounted to Rs 12.22 lac crore, with expectations to reach Rs 5.5 lac crore in the current financial year.
The minister revealed that the Udupi–Mangaluru–Manipal region has been included under the local accelerator programme to foster growth. Addressing concerns regarding regulations, he stated that guidelines for IT companies in the coastal region were initially formulated in consultation with local developers' associations. Following requests to streamline these processes, the minister assured that the guidelines would be simplified within a week to encourage further investment.