The recently evolved - Karnataka Electronics Hardware Policy - hardly recognises the existence of North Karnataka, which is traditionally dogged with regional imbalance. Barring Hubli-Dharwad no, other place in North Karnataka has been identified for setting up the EHMH.
The backward districts of Hyderabad-Karnataka regions comprising Bidar, Gulbarga, Yadgir, Raichur and Koppal are at the receiving end.
They are industrially the most backwards regions of the State. The State government, in its Karnataka Electronics Hardware Policy policy, has identified four corridors to be opened on the lines of Special Economic Zone policy, enabling the manufacturers to enjoy benefits and incentives.
Four corridors
The Bangalore-Tumkur corridor has been identified for the manufacture of semiconductors, alternative/solar energy, aerospace medical electronics, and embedded systems. The Shimoga-Hassan corridor has been identified for the manufacture of electronic components, plastic, metal fabrication, and for electronics manufacturing services.
The Hubli-Dharwad corridor is meant for automobile electronics, high-tech machining, and high-tech tooling; and the Mysore-Nanjangud corridor, which is already an electronics hardware-manufacturing base, is reserved for medical electronics and computer peripherals.
The Western EHMH (Shimoga-Hassan), and the Northern EHMH (Hubli-Dharwad) will connect to the Southern EHMH of Bangalore/Mysore, and Bangalore will be the logistics centre for air-freight, and will connect to Chennai through a high quality road network for ocean freight, says the State policy.
The EHMHs will consist of among others large tracts of land fashioned as SEZs/Hardware Technology Parks, testing labs, product qualification houses, certification agencies, etc; and educational institutions freshly oriented towards the focus areas such as aerospace, alternative/solar energy, medical electronics, automotive electronics, and embedded systems.
The policy foresees a number of opportunities for the hardware industry in the State. They include - a million high-quality jobs for both rural and urban educated youth, attract potential investment to the State, dispersal of prosperity beyond Bangalore across the entire State, realisation of creative potential of innovation catalyst institutions such as Indian Institute of Science and PSUs such as BEL and HAL, utilisation of skills base of a plethora of engineering and polytechnic colleges, and attracting the talent that is well-trained and groomed elsewhere in India, and abroad.
All these sound very good and promising. But how will it benefit the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, which has not been acknowledged at all in the Electronics Hardware policy, is the moot question.
Excellent connectivity
In spite of Bidar and Gulbarga districts having excellent connectivity, they have not been considered for setting up the hardware units. Bidar is already having a full-fledged Indian
Airforce Airport and it is likely to be opened for civilian operations. Besides, it has got excellent national highway connectivity.
The construction of airport in Gulbarga is going on briskly and also, the district is well connected by roads and rails. Both have perennial sources of water and have been blessed by abundant land, suitable for setting up industries.
Neglect of the Hyderabad-Karnataka region for starting the electronic hardware units, has come as a rude shock for the people here.