"WE ARE CREATING MORE BENGALURU OUTSIDE BENGALURU"

The Karnataka government has established the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission or KDEM to bridge the gap between industry and government and to enhance the tech ecosystem in the state. Sanjeev K. Gupta, CEO, KDEM discusses the aims, objectives, the success stories and much more with ASHISH SINHA. Excerpts

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How would you describe the primary role and scope of the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission or KDEM? What are its key objectives in promoting digital innovation and economic growth? 

The Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM) was set up in 2021 to reshape the state’s digital ecosystem in sync with global hyper development trends. Focus areas comprising of innovation/ startups, ESDM, GCC, talent, Beyond Bengaluru mission. The objective was that it must be led by industry leaders and supported by the state government with the motto of ‘By the industry - For the industry’. The state government’s stake in KDEM is 49 per cent. The remaining 51 per cent is held by industry bodies ASSOCHAM, IESA and NASSCOM. The board includes all additional chief secretaries and the industry leaders.

KDEM also has a focus on Beyond Bengaluru. This mission is to create emerging tech clusters, and the identified regions in phase I are Mysuru, Mangaluru, and Hubballi – Dharwad – Belagavi (HDB). Karnataka will be contributing $1 trillion to the national economy and of that $300 billion will be digital economy, in the next five years.

Can you provide insights into the specific activities undertaken by KDEM to foster the growth and development of digital startups and entrepreneurs in the state?