Bengaluru, Karnataka's capital, has long been the driving force behind the state's economic growth. While every state would like to have a city like Bengaluru, the Karnataka government is now looking beyond its capital and working to create other cities that can share its economic burden. As the Congress government led by Chief Minister DK Shivakumar completed 100 days on September 10, the focus appears to be increasingly on developing these alternative economic centres.
Bengaluru became closely associated with India's technology revolution, attracting startups, multinational companies, engineers and young professionals from across the country. But the success that transformed the city into Karnataka's economic powerhouse has also made it increasingly difficult to manage.
Traffic congestion, costly housing, strained infrastructure and a rapidly expanding population have turned Bengaluru's future into both an economic and political challenge. DK Shivakumar, who has served as Deputy Chief Minister, Bengaluru development minister and now Chief Minister, has had a close view of these problems. His approach suggests that Karnataka cannot continue adding pressure to Bengaluru and expect the city to drive the state's entire next phase of growth.
For the 64-year-old Chief Minister, the solution is not to move away from Bengaluru but to create more cities capable of taking on part of its economic responsibilities.
In an opinion piece published in The Hindu on September 11, Shivakumar wrote that "A state's development story cannot be the story of its capital alone."
He acknowledged that Bengaluru would continue to remain the "crown of Karnataka", but argued that the state needs multiple economic centres capable of independently generating jobs, investments and opportunities.
The approach represents an expansion of Karnataka's existing "Beyond Bengaluru" strategy. Under the plan, technology, manufacturing and knowledge-based industries would be expanded into cities such as Mysuru, Mangaluru, Hubballi-Dharwad-Belagavi, Tumakuru, Kalaburagi and Shivamogga.
The timing is important. Completing 100 days marks the stage when the initial political goodwill starts giving way to the more difficult challenge of delivering results. For Shivakumar, that challenge is particularly significant because Bengaluru is both Karnataka's greatest economic strength and one of its biggest administrative problems.
BENGALURU'S BURDEN: A CITY THAT CANNOT DO EVERYTHING
Shivakumar pointed to Bengaluru's estimated population of around 12.5 million and more than 11.5 million vehicles to demonstrate the magnitude of the city's challenges.
The strain is evident across the city, from roads and housing to public transport and civic infrastructure. Bengaluru continues to attract people because employment opportunities remain heavily concentrated there. This creates a cycle in which more jobs attract more workers, which then places additional pressure on already stretched infrastructure.
That is why the Chief Minister's vision goes beyond simply establishing another technology park outside Bengaluru.
If a technology professional from Mysuru can find suitable employment in the city itself, the need to relocate to Bengaluru decreases. Similarly, a global capability centre in Mangaluru could allow young professionals from coastal Karnataka to remain closer to home. Expanding advanced manufacturing around Hubballi-Dharwad-Belagavi could create more opportunities for workers in North Karnataka without requiring them to migrate to Bengaluru.
This is the underlying idea of the "Beyond Bengaluru" initiative.
At the same time, Shivakumar has spoken about large-scale investment in Bengaluru itself. The state government says around Rs 1.5 lakh crore is being spent on the city's development, with plans including wider metro connectivity, tunnel roads, double-decker flyovers and the Bengaluru Business Corridor.
The objective, therefore, is not to reduce Bengaluru's importance. Rather, the government believes the city's problems cannot be addressed by Bengaluru alone.
HOW THE DKS GOVERNMENT PLANS TO CREATE ECONOMIC CENTRES BEYOND BENGALURU
The Karnataka Digital Economy Mission's Beyond Bengaluru programme has already identified clusters based on the economic strengths of different parts of the state.
Mysuru, located around 140 km from Bengaluru, is among the most prominent examples. The government aims to establish it as Karnataka's second major technology hub by building on its existing education, tourism and technology ecosystem. The state has set a target of generating $10 billion in digital revenues from Mysuru by 2030 and creating at least 1.5 lakh jobs.
The coastal region, particularly Mangaluru and Udupi, located roughly 350 km from the state capital, offers a different economic model. Ports, maritime links, education, healthcare, banking, fisheries and tourism already form the foundation of the region's economy. The government's focus is increasingly on connecting these sectors with technology, data centres and the digital economy.
The Hubballi-Dharwad-Belagavi cluster in northwestern Karnataka is being developed around engineering, manufacturing, artificial intelligence, semiconductor-related industries, aerospace and defence, drones, electric vehicles and other advanced technologies. According to KDEM data, the region already has a sizeable startup ecosystem that the government hopes to expand further.
Tumakuru and Doddaballapura in the southern-central part of Karnataka are being developed as industrial centres. Meanwhile, Kalaburagi and the wider Kalyana Karnataka region are being targeted for technology and industrial investment in an area that has historically lagged behind Karnataka's more prosperous regions.
The government has also proposed five Global Technology Centres in Kalaburagi, Belagavi, Hubballi-Dharwad, Mangaluru and Mysuru.
THE DIRECTION MAY BE RIGHT, BUT THE CHALLENGE IS SIGNIFICANT
There are indications that the strategy of developing alternative cities is beginning to gain momentum, although the scale remains much smaller than what would be required to significantly reduce Bengaluru's dominance.
In June 2026, 55 industrial projects involving Rs 7,506 crore were approved, with the potential to generate more than 28,000 jobs. Of those projects, 41 were planned outside the Bengaluru Urban and Bengaluru Rural districts.
Another 83 projects worth approximately Rs 6,253 crore were approved in August. As many as 69 of these were located outside Bengaluru and were expected to generate more than 30,000 jobs.
However, these figures represent approved projects and projected employment rather than investments that have already been completed. That distinction will become increasingly important as the Shivakumar government moves beyond its first 100 days.
The record of the earlier Beyond Bengaluru programme also shows why expectations need to remain realistic. Between 2021-22 and 2024-25, the initiative generated nearly 5,600 jobs across the Hubballi-Dharwad, Mangaluru and Mysuru clusters. Of the 126 companies that started operations in these locations, 51 arrived during 2024-25 and generated around 1,500 jobs.
The direction of the policy is becoming clearer, but its scale remains far from what is needed.
The Karnataka government has set an ambitious agenda involving thousands of crores in investment, large-scale job creation, new technology centres and multiple emerging economic hubs. Ultimately, however, the success of the strategy will depend on whether a young person in Mysuru, Mangaluru, Hubballi, Belagavi or Kalaburagi begins to view Bengaluru as a choice rather than a necessity.
That is a considerably harder objective to achieve. Bengaluru is unlikely to lose its position as Karnataka's economic crown anytime soon, and Shivakumar himself is not arguing otherwise. His point is that the crown can become stronger when economic growth is distributed across multiple centres instead of being concentrated in one city.
With the first 100 days now complete, the initial honeymoon period may be coming to an end. For Shivakumar's vision of creating "many economic engines", the real challenge will be converting Bengaluru's success into a model that other parts of Karnataka can reproduce without having to turn themselves into another Bengaluru.
