Kalaburagi: Kalaburagi district minister for rural development, panchayat raj, and IT-BT, Priyank Kharge, told TOI that a blueprint had been prepared for the development of tourism, agriculture, industry, technology, electronics, and entrepreneurship in Kalaburagi district under Lee’s Economic Acceleration Programme.He said the outline would be shared with the public in the next two weeks, and the programmes would be implemented within one year, with the aim of raising the district’s GDP from 1.9% to 2.1%. Bengaluru contributes 40% of the state’s GDP, while Dakshina Kannada contributes 4.5%, Bengaluru Rural 1%, and Kalaburagi 1.9%.Any innovation, including IT-BT, is concentrated in Bengaluru and has its network and operations there. Under the “Beyond Bengaluru” programme, necessary steps are being taken to promote innovation in Kalaburagi. To establish an innovation hub and foster human resource and skill development, a training centre was set up in Kalaburagi city under the Nagavi Institute of Competitive Examination (NICE). Minister Kharge said that 2,000 students would be trained at this centre for UPSC, KPSC, banking, and other competitive exams.Preservation of historical monuments by the department of archaeology and heritage has been allocated Rs 313.1 crore. The development works of the Nagavi heritage site in Chittapur taluk, known as the ancient university of Kannada, will be undertaken at a cost of Rs 68 crore. Under the KKRDB mega-macro grant, 9 agricultural mechanisation centres have been set up across Kalaburagi district. Drone spraying centres have been established in Kamalapur, Sedam, Afazalpur, and Chittapur. In Afazalpur and Chittapur taluks, a cereal processing centre is being set up at a cost of Rs 3 crore.Proposed points:– Establishment of Best Innovation Centre in Kalaburagi city.– Nurturing more than 500 start-ups in Kalaburagi district by 2030, creating at least 1,000 direct jobs.– Establishment of a language lab for youth personality development to inculcate entrepreneurship qualities.– Allocation of land in the Nandura-Kesaratagi Industrial Area, 3rd phase: 36.8 acres for electronic products manufacturing, 48.8 acres for chemical and gas industries, 5.5 acres for a food park, and 5.2 acres for a sustainable electronics park.– Establishment of an Auto General Engineering Cluster for auto vehicle repair and related professions on 20 acres of the 3rd phase of the Kapanur Industrial Area.
