Karnataka will launch Rs 100 cr fund to identify India’s top 50 AI companies: Priyank Kharge
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Information Technology Minister Priyank Kharge on Friday said the state will launch a Rs 100 crore fund to identify India’s top 50 AI companies.
Speaking at the Confederation of Indian Industry's two-day CII INNOVERGE 2025 event here held under the theme “Make in India, Developed India & Digital India,” the minister highlighted Karnataka’s leadership as a global innovation powerhouse.
"At the upcoming Bengaluru Tech Summit, we will unveil the Future Makers track to showcase 20,000 startups and launch a Rs 100 crore fund to identify India’s top 50 AI companies. Karnataka today is not competing with other states; we are competing with ourselves to create global solutions through innovation, skills and political will," he said.
The minister noted that Karnataka has evolved into one of the most disruptive innovation hubs in the world, powering breakthroughs from agritech to aerospace.
"We are not just an investment destination but the global knowledge and skill capital. With 40 per cent of India’s R&D talent, 30 per cent of all Global Capability Centres, and 48 of the country’s 110 unicorns, Karnataka drives the nation’s digital economy. Our ecosystem leads globally in AI skill penetration and R&D output, ranking among the top five AI cities worldwide," he said.
According to Kharge, whats sets Karnataka apart is its 3P model of People, Policy and Participation, which ensures every stakeholder, from academia to entrepreneurs, has a voice in shaping growth.
"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," he added.
At the event, Kris Gopalakrishnan, Chairman of Axilor Ventures & Co-Founder, Infosys Ltd, stressed that India’s innovation journey will accelerate when research, academia, and industry converge into a cohesive ecosystem.
"We must invest deeply in R&D, foster Centres of Excellence collaborating with industry, and create clusters where ideas move seamlessly from lab to market. Our next phase of growth should be measured not only by economic metrics but by innovation outcomes — tracking creativity and commercial impact as rigorously as financial performance," the said.
He added that with India’s demographic strength, digital readiness, and entrepreneurial energy, "we have the potential to emerge as a global innovation leader, provided innovation becomes a measurable, mainstream priority."
The CII INNOVERGE 2025 set the tone for an engaging dialogue on how India can harness AI, technology, and strategic partnerships to realize its vision of Viksit Bharat@100 through innovation-led growth, according to official statement.
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Rahul Gandhi joins Haryana Congress leader's 'Sadbhav Yatra' in Gurugram
Gurugram (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday joined the 'Sadbhav Yatra' of Haryana Congress leader Brijendra Singh here.
Gandhi, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, reached Gurugram in the evening and joined the yatra. He also walked some distance with Brijendra, state Congress chief Rao Narender Singh and other leaders.
Huge crowds had turned up for the occasion.
Later, Gandhi proceeded to the venue where he addressed a public gathering.
Leader of Opposition in Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda and other Congress leaders, including Randeep Singh Surjewala, B K Hariprasad, state Congress chief Rao Narender Singh, were also present.
Brijendra Singh had on Thursday said it is a matter of joy for them that Gandhi was joining the 'Sadbhav Yatra' in Gurugram-Badshahpur, "thereby strengthening the Indian National Congress' campaign for brotherhood and harmony".
The 'Sadbhav Yatra' began from Danoda village at Narwana in Jind on October 5, 2025, and has covered 85 of the 90 assembly segments in the state.
The foot march was started by Brijendra Singh, son of Congress veteran Birender Singh, to highlight several national and regional issues.
State Congress chief Rao Narender Singh had asked all party leaders to take part in Friday's event.
Days before his yatra began in October, Brijendra Singh, who narrowly lost the 2024 assembly polls from Jind's Uchana Kalan, accused the ruling BJP of playing "divisive politics" and said that "sadbhav" (harmony) has come under stress in the last decade.
Brijendra Singh was a sitting MP from Hisar for the BJP when he resigned ahead of the 2024 general election and switched over to the Congress. He also alleged that the saffron party creates a wedge in society to achieve its political purpose.
The 'padyatra' has so far covered 85 assembly constituencies in Haryana, traversing more than 2,700 kilometres.
Addressing the public gathering, Brijendra Singh said the yatra is inspired by Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, where he took the party's vision and values directly to the people of the country.
Singh said the yatra has highlighted issues like "Vote Chori" (vote theft), unemployment, poor law and order situation, agrarian distress, and issues related to government employees, labourers and traders.
"Sadbhav (harmony) and bhaichara (brotherhood), which the BJP is attempting to weaken, are the messages of this yatra," he said, adding that its slogan is "Congress ka haath bhaichara ka saath".
"This yatra is a natural extension of the Bharat Jodo Yatra," Brijendra Singh said.
