Kionics initiative to take technology to rural children welcome: CM

Bengaluru: Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has welcomed Kionics’ initiative to take technology to rural children through AI-powered KIO computers, stating that the effort would help prepare the younger generation for the future.

CM Shivakumar was speaking after inaugurating the 50th Foundation Day celebrations of Kionics at a private hotel in Bengaluru on Tuesday. “Kionics has taken up a major initiative to make technology available to rural children through AI-based KIO computers. I welcome its vision of preparing children for the future,” he said.

Recalling the establishment of Kionics, the Chief Minister said it was launched when he was a school student, during the tenure of former Chief Minister D Devaraj Urs. He noted that Veerappa Moily was the Industries Minister and S M Krishna was the Deputy Minister at the time. “Kionics is celebrating a golden day. Karnataka had laid a strong foundation for the technology sector with foresight. The organisation has created employment opportunities and contributed to the state’s technological progress,” he said.

Shivakumar said technology was now being used across various sectors, including the correction of property records and the distribution of khatas in Bengaluru. The government was working towards providing digital property records for 40 lakh properties in the city and delivering the documents to residents’ homes, he said.

He added that the distribution of the records would begin after the completion of the SIR process. The Chief Minister said the government had decided to promote the information technology sector in Hubballi, Shivamogga, Kalaburagi and Mangaluru under the “Beyond Bengaluru” initiative. The aim was to encourage industrial growth in districts beyond the state capital, he said.

He congratulated Kionics for taking technology to rural schools and small entrepreneurs and urged people to approach problems positively and work towards finding solutions. Shivakumar said around 30,000 engineering seats were currently vacant in the state and that engineering graduates were often receiving low salaries. The government was examining ways to address the issue, he said.

He added that he had instructed officials to make the curriculum more industry-oriented to improve students’ skills. In some foreign countries, employers focus more on whether candidates possess the required skills than on their degrees, he noted. “Our youth should become job creators rather than merely job seekers. Our government is giving importance to entrepreneurs and will extend support to Kionics if it requires land for future expansion,” he said.

The Chief Minister also recalled the contribution of the Tata group, Swami Vivekananda and the Mysuru royal family to the establishment of the Indian Institute of Science. He said the growth of the institution had contributed to the development of Karnataka’s scientific and technological ecosystem.

He noted that Bengaluru’s population had increased from around 20 lakh when Kionics was established to nearly 1.40 crore today. The city now has more than 250 engineering colleges and lakhs of IT professionals, he said.

Shivakumar also recalled the contributions of former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Jawaharlal Nehru, as well as Congress leaders, to the development of Bengaluru’s infrastructure and technology sector.

He said the state’s technology journey had expanded from calculators, televisions and limited telephone connections to mobile phones, semiconductors and artificial intelligence.“ Kionics’ 50-year journey has been one of innovation, technology and progress. Let us work together to build Karnataka’s future,” he said.

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The Hans India