Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Council of Ministers approved a new Information Technology (IT) Policy for 2020-25 on Thursday that aims to create more than 60 lakh direct and indirect jobs in the state. The policy will also enable the information technology industry to contribute about 30 percent to the country's goal of creating a trillion-dollar digital economy.

According to the government, the policy would ensure that the state maintains its leadership position in innovation and technology. The government said the policy will help keep pace with overall economic development. The policy proposes to strengthen infrastructure to boost the local industry and encourage investment and growth beyond Bengaluru. It calls for the promotion innovation and the growth of future industries by fostering investment, global alliances, supporting research and development, and the creation of intellectual property; Also to accelerate skills enhancement and talent pool nurturing by strengthening existing initiatives and introducing strategic skills interventions for emerging technologies. Karnataka is the center of information technology in the country and its capital, Bengaluru, is the fourth largest technology cluster in the world. It is also the first country in the country to introduce an IT policy in 1997, which fueled the growth of the industry. An official press release stated that the IT industry in Karnataka has become one of the largest job-creating industries and that 80 percent of global IT companies have their Indian operations and R&D centers in the state.

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