Investor meetings in Karnataka often start with a strategic name-drop — Telangana, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh — according to Priyank Kharge, the state’s Minister for IT & BT.

It’s a negotiation tactic, he says, to pressure Karnataka by listing the subsidies offered elsewhere.

“At every meeting, investors begin by saying, ‘I’m just coming from Telangana’ or ‘I met the UP Chief Minister,’” Kharge said at the BT AI Summit. “They’re already putting us on the back foot — signaling they’ve seen better incentives.” Advertisement

But Kharge pushed back hard, arguing that no other state offers Karnataka’s depth. “From being a pensioners’ paradise, we’ve become one of the most disruptive cities in the world,” he said, citing the state’s unmatched ecosystem — driven by academia, startups, talent,

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