Karnataka govt to announce new IT policy soon

: With focus on tier-2 cities, the Karnataka government would soon announce a new information technology policy to drive investment and employment opportunities in the state, a senior government official said Monday.

"We are in the process of formulating a revised IT policy for the state. Our aim is to strengthen the states leadership position in the IT/ITeS industry through increased thrust on emerging technologies and R&D," Gaurav Gupta, principal secretary to the department of information technology and biotechnology.

"Our focus would be to enhance necessary support through key incentives and facilitation through institutional mechanism," said Gupta at the 15th Vision Group meeting.

The objective behind the new IT policy is to push Karnataka as the global 'first choice' for innovation and technology, the officer said.

He added that there would be inclusive digital growth by adopting strategies that would promote emerging technologies such as AI, machine learning, virtual realty etc.

The Vision Group led by industry captains had advised the government to organise the upcoming Bengaluru Tech Summit-2019 scheduled on November 18 and 19.

The event would be a major platform to showcase the technology prowess of Karnataka.

Infosys co-founder and chairman of Alixor Ventures Kris Gopalakrishnan was also present at the meeting.