Karnataka IT jobs being lapped up by youths from other states: Mohandas Pai

MANGALURU: Karnataka government has failed to create necessary ecosystem that will nurture home grown IT talent. At present, IT workforce in IT companies/start-ups in Bengaluru, regarded as IT hub of the nation is around 15 lakh and only 7 lakh of them are Kannadigas. With estimated 2.5-lakh youths expected to join this workforce in current fiscal, government must act to promote Kannadigas in IT sector, T V Mohandas Pai, chairman, Manipal Global Education, said.
Interacting with reporters on Friday, Mohandas Pai said with IT growth all happening in Bengaluru and not percolating to tier-II cities, there is every chance that some of these tier-II cities including Mangaluru will turn in to ‘intellectual deserts’ in the not so distant future.“Every Mangalurean who wants to pursue career in IT, will necessarily flock to Bengaluru due to lack of vision shown by elected representatives in fostering growth in the IT sector here,” he observed.
A report on the IT Vision Group set up for Mangaluru with leading members of the society working for it is gathering dust with the government. “Barring Infosys which opened facility with nearly 4,000 seats in its two centres in the district, nothing much has happened,” he said. Adding to this is apathy on part of the government in ensuring spread of IT education in tier two cities which can serve as the feeding ground for IT companies setting up base in such cities, he noted.
Lauding vision shown by R V Deshpande, who in his first stint as minister for industries brought out India’s first policy in 1997 with a vision 5000 by 2000 (Rs 5,000 crore export earnings by 2000), Mohandas said Karnataka achieved the numbers (earnings) and employed 15,000 people. Karnataka in last fiscal had IT workforce of 15 lakh against its total population of 1 crore and contributed Rs 3 lakh crore by way of export revenues, he noted.
With nearly 25,000 IT companies and startups in Bengaluru investing nearly Rs 40,000 crore, Pai said it is high time that the government focused in skilling Kannadiga youths. “We need good jobs, training and scholarships to attract youth to the IT sector rather than various freebies that the government is rolling out in the name of bhagyas,” he said. Failure to do so will see youths from other states come and eat in to the growing IT job market in Karnataka, he pointed.