Karnataka bullish on growth of innovation, trying to increase per capita income of individuals: Minister

Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan says integrating multiple systems that were lying in silos across multiple industries and government departments was one of the biggest challenges around innovation

“Karnataka has been actively working with the industry towards expanding the size of the economy and also increasing the per capita income (annual earning per person) of every individual in the State,” said C.N. Ashwath Narayan, Minister of Electronics, Information Technology - Biotechnology, Science and Technology, Higher Education, Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood.

“As of now, better per capita earning is limited to a few sections of society. The government and industry should work together to bring a difference to the lives of people and enterprises by helping them earn better. Only innovation can help achieve this,” he told the audience at ‘Innoverge 2022: Engineering Imagination’, a summit organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry in Bengaluru, on August 25.

Entrepreneurs and individuals require encouragement from the government in terms of technological innovation and their implementation in society. “We are bullish on it. We will be very stringent on these from now on as we are trying to catch up very fast on innovation, around various verticals, to retain Karnataka’s standing in global markets. But we do have several challenges, and we are trying to fix all those,” the Minister added.

Integrating multiple systems that were lying in silos across multiple industries and government departments was one of the biggest challenges around innovation. “Integrating systems and eliminating isolation will bring clarity and confidence to the tech innovation ecosystem. All these changes, coupled with judicious investments, will help us grow innovation all across the State. Innovation-led futuristic planning is our focus,” he added.

Kamal Bali, Deputy Chairman, CII Southern Region and President & MD Volvo Group India said, “An innovation mindset, together with emerging technology, is the key to maximising business outcomes. It is important to integrate purpose, innovation and collaboration. Innovation takes place best when obstacles between ideation and execution are removed, and focus is on objective insights,” Bali said.

Arvind Kumar, Director General, Software Technology Parks of India, said data would contribute a great deal of innovation. “Today, the focus is on creating an organised pool of data, which is our biggest asset for AI and machine-to-machine learning,” he added.

Arjun M. Ranga, Chairman, CII Karnataka and Director, NR Group and MD, Cycle Pure Agarbathi, said, “Karnataka is on the right path with a strong regulatory framework, skilled personnel, and capital to support an environment of entrepreneurship and innovation-driven startup ecosystem.”