Rural development & Panchayat Raj and it & Bt minister and Kalaburagi in-charge priniank kharge Addressing a media conference in Kalaburagi on Saturday. | Photo credit: Arun Kulkarni
The state government is gearing up to expand the IT and BT ecosystem in Kalaburagi under the Local Economy Accelerator Program (LEAP) with plans to set up six empowerment centers across Karnataka, Rural Development & Panchayat Raj and IT & BT Minister and Kalaburagi in-charge Priyank Kharge said on Saturday.
Addressing a press conference here, the minister said the initiative aims to decentralize the digital economy outside Bengaluru and position Kalaburagi as a major growth hub for the Kalyana region of Karnataka. The plans were detailed in the presence of Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM) CEO Sanjeev Gupta and Krishi Kalpa Foundation CEO CM Patil.
Mr. Priyank said the government’s focus is on supporting new start-ups, Global Capability Centers (GCCs) and innovation hubs while promoting market access and supporting next-generation entrepreneurs. He added that Kalaburagi has been identified as a strategic location for the expansion of the digital economy in North Karnataka.
Speaking about the collaboration, Krishi Kalpa director CM Patil said the foundation started its activities in Kalaburagi by promoting entrepreneurship. “Under the LEAP programme, a new center of excellence for rural innovation and entrepreneurship and a prototype laboratory for young and budding entrepreneurs will be established in the city. The center will focus on agriculture, allied industries and rural innovation,” he said.
As part of the initiative, the Kalaburagi district administration has earmarked a 15,000 square feet ready-to-use workspace that will serve as a central hub for start-ups, innovators and business-related activities in the region, he added.
Mr. Patil noted that the Rural Innovation Center will be built using Krishi Kalpa’s mentorship, market access and access to finance model. “The upcoming state-of-the-art prototyping lab will enable product-based start-ups to design, build and test prototypes locally, helping innovators gain access to facilities previously unavailable in the region,” he said.
Describing the initiative as a long-term commitment, Mr. Patil said the aim was to build a progressive entrepreneurial ecosystem that Kalaburagi and Kalyana Karnataka could be proud of. The LEAP initiative will be formally launched in early January 2026 and is expected to provide a structured impetus to entrepreneurial and innovation activities in the region, he added.
Reiterating his government’s same commitment to strengthening agriculture and allied sectors, Mr. Priyank announced that an estimated ₹50 crore would be invested to set up a Center of Excellence in Agro-Processing, Value Addition and Marketing at Kalaburagi.
MLAs Allamaprabhu Patil and Kaneez Fathima, MLCs Tippannappa Kamakanur and Jagadeva Guttedar, Chairman KUDA Mazhar Alam Khan, Chairman Gescom Praveen Harawal, Chairman KKRTC Arun Kumar MY Patil, Deputy Commissioner Fauzia Taranum, Zilla Panchayat, CEO Meena Corporation, Director Meena Bhanwar A Shinde, KUDA Commissioner Shivakumar Patil and other officials were present.
Published – 06 Dec 2025 19:48 IST
