About Karnataka

Karnataka is a state in South West India.

It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passage of
the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as the State
of Mysore, it was renamed Karnataka in 1973.
The capital and largest city is Bangalore.
Karnataka is the ninth largest state by population,
comprising 30 districts. Kannada is the most widely spoken
and official language of the state.
Karnataka is the sole producer of felsites and the leading
producer of iron ore, chromite, and dunite and contributes
99.0 per cent to India's total gold production.
Karnataka has vibrant automobile, agro, aerospace, textile
& garment, biotech and heavy engineering industries.

About Karnataka
Political Background
The Politics of Karnataka is dominated by three
major political parties, the Indian National
Congress, the Janata Dal (Secular) and
the Bharatiya Janata Party.
In 2008 elections, BJP, Congress & JD received
110, 80 &28 seats respectively.
In 2013 elections, Congress, BJP & JD received
122, 40 & 40 seats respectively, which lead
making Siddaramaiah as Chief Minister of state.
Education
The state has a literacy rate of 75.6 per cent
according to the provisional data of Census 2011;
the male literacy rate is 82.8 per cent and the
female literacy rate is 68.1 per cent.
The state has 3,640 pre-university colleges, 1,362
other colleges and 40 universities to impart
general education. There are about 0.968 million
students in the pre-university colleges.
There are 289 polytechnics and 187 engineering
colleges to provide technical education in the
state.

Education
Economic Snapshot
At current prices, the gross state domestic product (GSDP)
of Karnataka was about US$ 97.1* billion in 2012-13.
Growth has been mainly driven by secondary and tertiary
sectors.
During 2011-12, total exports from the state aggregated
US$ 45.7 billion which is approximately 12.3 per cent of
Indias total exports.
Electronic and software exports from the state totalled US$
28.3 billion in 2011-12.
In 2012-13, outstanding investments in the state totalled
US$ 813.8* billion, representing nearly 8.0 per cent of total
outstanding investments in India.
Karnataka is ranked 5
th
in terms of attracting private sector
investments in India.
FDI inflows from April 2012 to March 2013 stood at US$
1,023 million.

Key Industries
Karnataka has emerged as an information
technology (IT) hub of India.
Bengaluru is the 4
th
largest technological cluster
in the world after Silicon Valley, Boston and
London.
The state is Indias largest software exporter, with
electronics and computer software exports
totalling US$ 28.3 billion in 2011-12.
At least 400 Fortune 500 companies have
outsourcing operations in Karnataka.
There are 2,160 IT companies in the state.
Key Industries
Karnataka is home to nearly 60.0 per cent of the
countrys biotech units.
An 86-acre biotechnology park, Bengaluru Helix,
comprising the 52-acre Alexandria Knowledge Park, is
due to come up in Bengaluru.
The engineering industry in Karnataka has positive
prospects, given its performance.
In 2011-12, the export of engineering products stood
at US$ 1.7 billion.
Karnataka is a leading state of the country in
electronics and telecommunication with over 300 of
the worlds leading companies.

Key Industries
The state has high end research and development
organisations like Indian Institute of Science, Cosmic
Industrial Laboratories Ltd, Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO), CSIR Centre for Mathematical
Modelling and Computer Simulation (CMMACS),
National Aerospace Laboratories, Centre for Soft
Matter Research and John F. Welch Technology Centre.
Karnataka has a vibrant auto industry with investments
of around US$ 713.0 million and annual revenues of
US$ 604.0 million.
It is the fourth largest state in India in terms of
automotive production.

Key Industries
Karnataka is one of the leading producers of cotton, silk and
wool, which are the key raw materials required for textile
manufacturing units. The state produces 65.0 per cent of
Indias silk.
The state plans to develop a 230-acre textile SEZ in Hassan,
dedicated apparel zones in Bengaluru Rural, Tumkur, Kolar,
Mandya, Belgaum, Bidar, and Dharwad, and a Silk City in
Bengaluru.
The state accounts for around 70.0 per cent of the
countrys total coffee production. In 2011-12, the coffee
production in the state was estimated to be at around
221,000 metric tonnes.
The state is one of the leading producer of flowers, spices,
fruits and vegetables.