Ikea, Toyota and Walmart Want in on the First All-Women Tech Park in Karnataka!

Harohalli, a village located 40 km south of Bengaluru, is all set to take its place in the pages of history as the site of Karnataka’s first ever all-women’s tech park!

The tech park is an initiative of the Government of Karnataka that has been launched keeping in mind the government’s industrial policy for 2014-2019, which proposed special incentives to encourage women entrepreneurs.

“Today , there’s no platform for women entrepreneurs and that’s why the state government thought it best to create an exclusive tech park for women,” K Ratna Prabha, Additional Chief Secretary of Commerce and Industries Department, Government of Karnataka told the Times of India.

The tech park, which will be spread over 300 acres of government allotted land, will be planned and designed exclusively by women architects and will be constructed by women contractors.

Source: Pixabay

“The state government’s commerce and industries department has already received 56 applications over the past few weeks from women entrepreneurs wanting to set up shop here. The ventures range from IT and ITeS, food processing, textiles, telecom, electronics and others with a proposed investment of around Rs. 135 crores, and with employment opportunities for 2,800 persons.” says Prabha.

That international giants like Ikea, Walmart and Toyota have already expressed interest in the park says volumes about the success in store for the initiative.

According to Prabha, the park will be a golden opportunity for women entrepreneurs who are in a rented facility and want to expand. The government, buoyed by the enthusiastic response to the initiative, is already planning a women’s park cluster in Mysuru, Hubballi-Dharwad, Belagavi and Ballari too.

The all-women’s tech park clearly signifies the first step to a more women-inclusive approach to policy for the government. “Five per cent of the plots sheds in industrial areas developed by Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board or Karnataka State Small Industries Development Corporation have been reserved for women entrepreneurs in all future industrial areas. So far, 942 women have been allotted plots in KIADB industrial areas. Exclusive clusters for women in textile, gems and jewelry have been planned. The idea is to make Karnataka a leader in women-led enterprises in India,” says Prabha.

The tech park is proposed to be up and running by November 2016.

Featured image for representation only. Source: Wikimedia

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