Siddaramaiah aims to make state incubator hub

BENGALURU: In a determined effort to improve entrepreneurial skills, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday proposed the establishment of ‘New Age Incubation Network’ in as many as 10 post-graduate and professional institutions across Karnataka.

This is apart from improving learning capabilities in backward taluks. The Chief Minister also said that this would be in addition to establishment of higher learning centres with an outlay of '8 crore to improve the quality of information related to science and technology. In his budget speech, Mr Siddaramaiah said that IT and BT department would set up incubators in potential areas like - Internet of Things, Electronics system design and manufacturing, Robotics, 3D printing, nanotechnology, medical devices, health technology and clean technology in a phased manner. “In this fiscal year, we propose to set up four such incubators in the state, which is apart from setting up of an incubator in Bagalkote in the field of Bio-Tech start-up. KEONICS will set up incubators and common instrumentation facilities in Bengaluru as well as in the IT parks of Shivamogga, Bagalkote and Kalaburagi,” he added.

While observing that the state government had already launched Mobile Science Lab van scheme in association with Agastya International foundation, which has covered 2095 high schools benefiting 1.25 lakh students and 4000 teachers of the backward taluks in the state, he added that in a similar manner, the state government proposed to distribute - science lab in a box - kits to at least 500 high schools in educationally backward taluks which would benefit both teachers as well as students.

A welcome measure: Chamber
The state government has proposed collaboration with universities, academic institutions and industry to create training centres for the IT-BT sector. It has also proposed 10 new incubator centres in post graduate and professional institutions across the state. Commenting on the government's initiatives, Mr Thyagu Valliappa, senior vice-president, Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce, said: “The proposal to work closely with universities and other academic institutions and industry to create centres of excellence and finishing schools in IT, electronics and animation sectors is a commendable measure, considering that Bengaluru is the hub of innovation and skill development.” He said, “Similarly, the initiative to set up 10 new incubators in postgraduate and professional institutions across the state under the New Age Incubation Network is also a welcome measure.”

Rs 30 crore for Third World Kannada Conference
The government has decided to hold the third World Kannada Conference at an estimated cost of Rs 30 crore. The second one was held in Belagavi when Mr B.S. Yeddyurappa was the chief minister and it was inaugurated by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

CM Siddaramaiah announced in his budget that the third conference is being organised to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the unification of Karnataka. Other major announcements related to the Kannada and Culture Department include digitalisation of important writings in Kannada, a research by the Karnataka Theological College on the contributions of Basel Missionaries to Kannada, an international museum of Konkani culture in Mangaluru, museums at Bidar and Bagalkote, and modernisation of heritage buildings of the Nawabs period in Savanuru.