Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar highlighted the state's comprehensive deployment of Artificial Intelligence across education, governance, agriculture and livestock management at the 11th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog. Speaking at the meeting chaired by PM Narendra Modi, Shivakumar emphasized that Karnataka's development strategy is built on technology-driven governance, investments in human capital, innovation-led economic growth and inclusive welfare programmes. The CM declared that "Karnataka will remain a key innovation hub, human capital powerhouse and epicentre of economic growth for the nation. A developed Karnataka will tremendously accelerate the realisation of a developed nation."
Karnataka's AI Vidhye and AI Prabodha platforms, developed in partnership with IIT Dharwad, will create an AI-assisted education and assessment ecosystem covering 25 lakh students. The platform will utilize optical character recognition (OCR) and large language model (LLM) technologies and include 15,000 lesson videos, 75,000 questions, AI-based handwriting recognition, voice-enabled tools and intelligent tutoring systems. The state is also implementing AI-powered attendance systems - Kartavya and Nirantara - monitoring attendance of around 5 lakh government employees and 54 lakh students daily. Additionally, Karnataka has developed an AI-based muzzle-print identification system for livestock management and is promoting precision farming and climate-resilient agriculture through AI applications for nearly 70 lakh farmers registered under the Farmers Registration and Unified Beneficiary Registration System (FRUITS).
Highlighting Karnataka's economic strength, Shivakumar said the state accounts for about 5 percent of India's population but contributed 9.19 percent of the country's GDP in 2025-26. The CM noted that "there are more IT professionals in Bengaluru than in the whole of California." Karnataka leads the country in services exports, contributing more than 40 percent of the national total. The state's future growth strategy focuses on emerging sectors including AI, semiconductors, quantum technologies, biotechnology, green energy and climate technologies. Under the Startup Policy 2025-30, Karnataka aims to support 25,000 startups in emerging sectors through funding, mentorship, infrastructure and market-access initiatives. The Karnataka Global Capability Centre (GCC) Policy 2024-29 targets attracting 500 new GCCs, generating 3.5 lakh jobs and contributing $50 billion to the state's economy by 2029.
Karnataka plans to establish 2,000 Karnataka Public Schools by 2028 at a cost of ₹2,500 crore, including an Asian Development Bank-supported programme. The state is implementing a higher education transformation programme backed by an ADB loan of ₹2,600 crore. Computer science education is being introduced from Classes 1 and 2, while skill-based learning pathways will be available from Class 6 onwards. The state's Skill Development Policy 2025-32, with an outlay of ₹4,432 crore, aims to train 30 lakh youth as Karnataka works towards becoming a $1 trillion economy by 2032.
Bengaluru-based Astrobase Space Technologies and SatSure Analytics India have been selected as the first Indian Non-Governmental Entities (NGEs) for funding under the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) Technology Adoption Fund (TAF) Scheme. Astrobase will develop a high-thrust Closed-Cycle Liquid Rocket Engine (800 kN) for space launch vehicles, while SatSure will create Dhaarini, a Large Earth Observation Model (LOM) designed to serve as India's foundational AI platform for remote sensing applications. Additionally, TM2SPACE Technologies will develop an indigenous AI-powered star tracker system for satellites. Seeking enhanced central assistance, Shivakumar said Karnataka has identified infrastructure projects worth ₹1 lakh crore to improve mobility and climate resilience in Bengaluru. The CM urged enhanced support under the Urban Challenge Fund and reiterated the state's demand for Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS) connectivity linking Bengaluru with Mysuru, Tumakuru, Kolar and Chikkaballapura.
