NRIs from Karnataka want Congress to retain power: Pitroda

The non-resident Indians (NRIs) hailing from Karnataka want the Congress to retain power as the party's manifesto promises to make investing in the state "easy" for the diaspora, said Congress leader Sam Pitroda on Monday.

"The NRIs from the state are coming together to ensure that the Congress wins the state elections because they believe in the party's ideology. The Congress government in the state has promised in its manifesto to ease the process of NRIs' investments in the state," he told reporters here.

Pitroda, 75, a telecom expert, is the Chairman of the party's Overseas Congress Department based in Chicago in the US. He was also the Advisor to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

State capital Bengaluru, which is the country's tech hub, will thrive in the policies that will be brought in by the Congress, he said.

"As the world looks to India for innovative solutions, India looks to Karnataka and in turn Bengaluru."

Through its poll manifesto released on Friday by Congress President Rahul Gandhi ahead of the May 12 state elections, the party said it will make Information Technology (IT) an important driver of the state economy.

The ruling party said it will work towards increasing the IT industry's contribution from the current $60 billion to $300 billion.

Calling Karnataka an "investment hub" in the country, the Congress also said that it will work towards drawing new investments in order to create job opportunities for the people of the state.

The party has vowed to create a total of one crore jobs across the state in five years.

--IANS

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