Techie becomes IT minister, aims to give ‘adrenaline shot’ to Bangalore startups

Vikana Soudha in Bangalore is one of the two legislative assembly buildings of the Karnataka state government. Photo credit: Pixabay.

He’s young for an Indian minister, in his late thirties. And unlike many of his peers, he has the technical qualifications for his new job as IT minister, having worked as a techie himself. Meet Priyank Kharge, the newly appointed IT and BT (bio-tech) minister of the state of Karnataka, whose capital city is Bangalore.

We’re in the Vikasa Soudha adjacent to the Vidhana Soudha, which is the seat of the state legislature. These two structures in granite, drawing upon the temple architecture of South India, are a landmark in Bangalore. Vikasa means progress and houses the IT-BT ministry and a few others.

The government can help good ideas become commercially viable. We can help startups at least reach proof of concept stage.

I get envious looks from an assorted group waiting to meet the minister as I’m called in to a lounge by the side of the main meeting room. Inside, Priyank moves my recorder from the coffee table to the arm-rest of his sofa – like any good techie would do.

But make no mistake. He not only looks the part in his khadi (homespun) kurta, he was born into politics. His father is Mallikarjun Kharge, former railway minister of India and one of the most influential politicians from Karnataka.

It is the straddling of two different worlds of politics and tech that makes Priyank Kharge an interesting prospect as Karnataka’s IT minister.

From outsourcing to ministership

IT minister Priyank Kharge.

Priyank was working as a creative head in a graphics and animation firm when a visiting faculty at MIT roped him into knowledge process outsourcing. “Dr Parthasarathy picked me up to help with title processing, which was rare in India. We checked 200-300 page property documents for legal compliance, loan approval etc.,” recalls Priyank.

He later set up the London office for the firm as it expanded, but left after a year or so for something more exciting – location-based services using a GIS system, and that was before the era of Google maps. He also set up an animation studio to develop original Indian content, drawing on his experience as a creative head.

And now, as IT minister, his canvas stretches across the entire tech startup scene in India’s Silicon Valley. He wants to go beyond funding support to explore other avenues where the government is in a privileged position to help startups.

See: India’s startups stand on the shoulders of these giants

Helping startups validate their ideas

Fund of funds