Making Karnataka skill capital of India is government's mission: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said that his government's mission is to make Karnataka the Skill Capital of India and a USD 1 trillion economy by 2032, powered by "talent, technology, and tenacity".
He said the state has set ambitious goals to skill 3 million youth by 2032, raise women's enrolment in ITIs to 33 per cent, double skilling capacity at the district level, and strengthen global placement linkages through the International Migration Centre-Karnataka (IMC-K).
Speaking at the inauguration of the Bengaluru Skill Summit 2025 here, Siddaramaiah said, "We are bringing institutional innovation to governance with the Karnataka Skill Intelligence and Strategy Unit (KSISU) for data-driven decision-making, District Skill Committees for local convergence, and the Chief Minister's Fellowship to accelerate on-ground implementation."
He said the state will deepen partnerships with industry, integrate skills into every stage of education, and build a culture of lifelong learning so that "every Kannadiga is job-ready, entrepreneur-ready, and future-ready".
Highlighting Karnataka's role as a leader in skill development, Siddaramaiah said the state was among the first in India to set up a dedicated Department of Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood in 2016-17.
"This was not a bureaucratic move; it was a visionary step to unify all skill initiatives under one umbrella, with one mission: to make Karnataka the Skill Capital of India," he said.
Under the Chief Minister Kaushalya Karnataka Yojana (CMKKY), he said the government "took skills to every corner of the state", exceeding its target of training five lakh youth.
Since 2023, Siddaramaiah said, the government has reframed Karnataka's skilling strategy to align with the demands of a changing global economy.
He recalled announcing the Karnataka Skill Development Policy 2025-32 in the Budget, and said with the inauguration of the Bengaluru Skill Summit 2025, that vision is taking shape.
"This seven-year strategic blueprint, backed by an outlay of Rs 4,432 crore, aims to position Karnataka as a global hub for a skilled, inclusive and future-ready workforce," he said.
He noted that Karnataka stood second in the India Skills competition with 48 medals and secured four medals at the World Skills championship. The government will also establish a Skill University in Sandur, he added.
The Bengaluru Skill Summit 2025, themed "Workforce 2030: Scale, Systems, Synergy," aims to position Karnataka as the "Skills Gateway to the World" with a focus on ESDM, AI/ML, aerospace, green energy, inclusion and international employability.
Siddaramaiah said Karnataka continues to be a frontrunner in economic growth, with a GSDP of Rs 28.1 lakh crore in 2024-25 and a growth rate of 10 per cent, contributing 8.9 per cent to India's GDP. The state's per capita income of Rs 3,80,906 is nearly 90 per cent higher than the national average, he added.
He said Karnataka's labour force participation rate stands at 57 per cent, with unemployment at just 2.4 per cent. Women's participation is 43.5 per cent in rural areas and 28.8 per cent in urban areas.
"These numbers are not mere statistics, they represent lives transformed, families uplifted, and communities strengthened. They represent a Karnataka that believes in inclusive and sustainable growth," the chief minister said.
He added that every skilled worker -- from the precision tool operator in Tumakuru to the artisan in Mysuru and the farmer in Mandya using drones -- are "the silent contributors to Karnataka's progress".
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Screenwriter Salim Khan on ventilator support and stable, say doctors
Mumbai (PTI): Veteran screenwriter Salim Khan suffered a brain haemorrhage which has been tackled, is on ventilator support as a safeguard and stable, doctors treating him said on Wednesday, a day after he was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital here.
The 90-year-old, one half of the celebrated Salim-Javed duo which scripted films such as "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don" with Javed Akhtar, is in the ICU and recovery might take some time given his age.
"His blood pressure was high for which we treated him and we had to put him on a ventilator because we wanted to do certain investigations. Now the ventilator was put as a safeguard so that his situation doesn't get worse. So it is not that he is critical," Dr Jalil Parkar told reporters.
"We did the investigations that were required and today we have done a small procedure on him, I will not go into the details. The procedure done is called DSA (digital subtraction angiography). The procedure has been accomplished, he is fine and stable and shifted back to ICU. By tomorrow, we hope to get him off the ventilator. All in all, he is doing quite well," he added.
Asked whether he suffered a brain haemorrhage, the doctor said, "Unko thoda haemorrhage hua tha, which we’ve tackled. No surgery is required.
As concern over Khan's health mounted, his children, including superstar Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan, daughter Alvira, and sons-in-law Atul Agnihotri and Aayush Sharma, have been seen outside the hospital along with other well-wishers. His long-time partner Akhtar was also seen coming out of the hospital.
Khan, a household name in the 70s and 80s, turned 90 on November 24 last year. It was the day Dharmendra, the star of many of his films, including "Sholay", "Seeta aur Geeta" and "Yaadon Ki Baraat", passed away.
Hailing from an affluent family in Indore, Khan arrived in Mumbai in his 20s with dreams of stardom. He was good looking and confident he would make a mark in the industry as an actor. But that did not happen. And then, after struggling for close to a decade and getting confined to small roles in films, he changed lanes.
He worked as an assistant to Abrar Alvi and soon met Akhtar to form one of Hindi cinema's most formidable writing partnerships. They worked together on two dozen movies with most of them achieving blockbuster status.
Other than "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don", Khan and Akhtar also penned "Trishul", "Zanjeer", "Seeta Aur Geeta", "Haathi Mere Saathi", "Yaadon Ki Baarat" and "Mr India".
