A wave of communal narratives and disturbances is deterring investments by IT/BT companies, the minister said, speaking at a book launch event in Bengaluru. The government, he said, had been urging technology companies to invest in the Mangaluru region, and they have been positive too. But they were worried about the safety of their employees in the event of tensions.
True potential of the region could unravel, ushering in a wave of jobs and prosperity only if political and religious leaders exercise restraint while commenting on communal issues, Kharge, who is also the rural development & panchayat raj minister, said.
His IT/BT department, apart from rolling out other initiatives, is in the process of building a modern IT park on a 3.28-acre prime plot at Blueberry Hills in Mangaluru on a PPP basis to drive technology investments.
MANGALURU HOLDS POTENTIAL
The IT/BT minister, in a chat with ET later, said while Bengaluru accounted for 40% of State’s GDP, it was closely followed by Mangaluru with a promising 5.5% share. The Mangaluru and Udupi-Manipal circuit has great potential to increase their share of GDP, being a thriving hub of banking, education and entrepreneurship, but it calls for a great deal of maturity by local political leaders, he said.
“Manipal-Udupi and Mangaluru are top on our list for local economic acceleration programme (LEAP). All stakeholders must give a little nudge and we will see the true potential of the place emerge,” the minister said. The government aims to add five lakh jobs over the next five years under the LEAP initiative. Kharge recollected a bitter experience when, as tourism minister eight years ago, he organised a surfing fest eight years ago in a part of Mangaluru coast that is best suited for surfing, but sections of activists vitiated the air by commenting on costumes of participants. The event attracted about 40,000 people, but the government gave up after the experience, he added.
The minister stressed that even a small spike in economic activities in districts could boost the State’s GDP, but the industrial climate is the principal driver of investments in any district. “We cannot have a political narrative that will impede growth,” Kharge said, while also highlighting the harm such an image would cause on tourist footfalls.
Karnataka will emerge the fastest growing state in the country if the top 10 districts are able to increase their GDP share by a small 0.15%. Bengaluru rural district, despite being close to Bengaluru Urban, did not show any significant jump in GDP figures, he said, while expressing hope that the recent wave of investments would unlock the true potential of the region.
