Karnataka aims to attract Rs 40,000 cr, generate 80,000 jobs in new city

The Karnataka government aims to attract Rs 40,000 crore of investment in the areas of healthcare, innovation, and knowledge sectors, besides creating 80,000 jobs in the proposed KHIR City.

The government of Karnataka on Friday met industry think tanks to deliberate upon and conceptualise the development of a Knowledge, Healthcare, Innovation, and Research (KHIR) City on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

The new investment region will be spread over 2,000 acres within 60 km from Bengaluru and developed in a phased manner.

Addressing an ideation session for setting up KHIR City, M.B. Patil, Minister for Large and Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development, said, 'We are embarking on a transformative journey to build a city that goes beyond conventional boundaries.'

Apart from ensuring job creation and attracting investments from leading global organisations, the initiative has the potential to contribute towards the state’s gross domestic product (GDP) due to increased economic activity. 'Besides attracting investments, it is aimed at contributing at least Rs 1 lakh crore to the state GDP,' Patil said.

As Karnataka is home to 60 per cent of India’s biotech companies and over 350 medical devices and supplies manufacturers across categories, the development of KHIR near Bengaluru is an ideal location for attracting such investments, the government said in a statement.

Priyank Kharge, Minister for IT-BT, said KHIR City will be the first such centre of knowledge which will have innovators from healthcare, knowledge, and global research centres coming together in one place. 'Bengaluru will transform from being a call centre of the world to a global centre of research and innovation,' he said.

The government is planning to come out with a separate policy to promote medical tourism in the state, Kharge added.