AI disruptions will be brief as reskilling drives new jobs: Karnataka IT Min Priyank Kharge
New Delhi (PTI): Disruptions from Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be brief and new jobs will emerge, Karnataka's IT and Biotechnology Minister Priyank Kharge has said, highlighting the state's large-scale reskilling initiatives are underway to prepare talent for new-age technologies.
In an interview with PTI, Kharge asserted that Karnataka retains a comfortable lead over others in technology, with strong data and performance vectors backing its position.
The state encourages innovation and collaboration, ensuring "that any entrepreneur or corporation who dreams of making it big globally, starts from Karnataka", he noted.
On the issue of disruptions due to AI, the minister said, Nipuna Karnataka, the state's large-scale reskilling and upskilling initiative, aims at safeguarding and future-proofing its talent pool.
"While there might be certain job losses, new jobs will be created...And that is why we need a massive reskilling and upskilling programme. So, there will be disruption, but the disruption will be for a brief while, until we are able to reskill and upskill people," he said.
Nipuna Karnataka is a Rs 300 crore reskilling initiative, industry-driven and industry-focused, with ambitious targets to train talent at scale, he added.
In the coming financial year, the state government aims to skill individuals in key areas, like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital forensics, and other technologies, in line with the global tech demands.
"We intend to scale over 5,00,000 people in the coming financial year, in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital forensics, and anything that the industry might need. So, we are closely talking to them through our skill council for emerging technologies, taking their feedback, taking their curriculum, and seeing how we can ensure that we give the most affordable and most talented human resources for them.
"And this programme is just not catering to the local ecosystem, we are catering to the global ecosystem also," Kharge noted.
He said Karnataka retains its lead over others, and data ranging from IT exports to startups and GCCs play, underscores its competitive strengths.
"We are far ahead of the curve when it comes to our neighbours or neighbouring states. So, while we love competition, we are not afraid of it. It also helps us pull up our socks," he said.
As many as 20,000 startups are registered with the state government, he said, adding that of 110 unicorns, more than 45 are from Bengaluru.
"We contribute 21 per cent of the national bioeconomy, and 65 per cent of defence electronics manufacturing happens in Karnataka. And GCCs, we have close to over 800 GCCs and their units, totalling about 1,500," Kharge said.
The same trend is evident in office space demand, real estate leasing, and GCC momentum.
"Last year, we gobbled up close to around 47 per cent of the entire country's real estate for GCCs. This year, just in the last six months, 13.1 million square feet has been given only for GCCs. So, where is the competition? I don't see that," Kharge said.
The minister emphasised that the state's policies are backed by strong, actionable outcomes like the recent Quantum Roadmap.
"We are just not announcing mere policies for the sake of announcing them. So, when we keep the Karnataka quantum roadmap in front, people believe us...That is because over the years, we have managed to build a strong foundation of skills.
"We have topped that with incubators, and we have topped up with centres of excellence across sectors. So, I run more than 25 centres of excellence from agritech to space tech. And through these, we are innovating and inventing. On top of that, we have put budgets. On top of that, we put policies," Kharge said.
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23-year-old woman found dead at Delhi home; suicide suspected
New Delhi (PTI): A 23-year-old woman was found dead in her house in Delhi's Prem Nagar area, with police suspecting it to be a case of suicide, an official said on Tuesday.
The deceased, identified as Anjali Singh, was found motionless in her room on Monday by her sister and her neighbour.
Police said her father, Vinod Kumar Singh (51), told them that he and his wife were away at work at the time of the incident, while their son and the other daughter were also not at home at the time of the incident.
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According to the family, the room in which Anjali was found was locked from the inside. The door was later forcibly opened by a neighbour and her sister with the help of a crowbar.
Her body was found lying on the bed inside the room, police said.
Preliminary inquiry revealed that Anjali had allegedly hanged herself using a piece of cloth tied to the ceiling fan.
It is suspected that the noose eventually might have loosened or torn off, resulting in her being found lying on the bed.
Family members informed the police that Anjali was a final-year student of a librarian science course from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). About a week ago, her final-year examination results were declared, and she had failed, following which she had been under depression, they said.
The family has not raised any allegation of foul play, police said, adding that no suicide note or external injury marks were found on the body during the initial inspection.
Inquest proceedings have been initiated in the matter as per the law. The body has been sent for post-mortem examination to ascertain the exact cause of death, and further investigation is underway, police added.
