The country’s tech flagship, Karnataka, has stayed afloat during the COVID-19 lockdown with Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) units reporting export of software worth ₹36,459 crore over the three-month period of March to May.
Although STPI does not have export numbers for the corresponding period last year, it reported software exports of ₹1,74,894 crore for the whole fiscal 2018-19. Exports from Karnataka saw a growth from ₹5.6 crore in 1991-92 to ₹1,74,894 crore in 2018-19, which is 41% of the total current National Exports. “STPI companies report their export numbers only once a year and therefore we do not keep monthly or quarterly numbers. Figures for last three months are an exception, since we just wanted to know what was our exports during the lockdown period,” said an official at STPI.
Omkar Rai, DG, STPI, said that STPI was the first organisation to enable work-from-home facility to its member units well before the national lockdown was declared during the COVID-19 period.
To help start-ups during the COVID-19 lockdown to remain afloat, the government has waived rentals for start-ups operating out of the STPI for four months, from March 1, 2020, to June 30, 2020.
Around 18 start-ups in Karnataka have therefore benefited from this. STPI-Bengaluru is also in the process of setting up Atal Incubation Centre focusing on healthcare domain, supported by NITI Aayog. The centre will be mentored by cardiologist Devi Prasad Shetty. The centre will help start-ups bring new technological solutions to the healthcare domain, as per STPI.
In Karnataka, STPI-Bengaluru centre was set up in 1991. Today, it has four sub-centres (Mysuru, Hubballi, Mangaluru and Manipal) under its jurisdiction. The STPI also has generated employment of 6.84 lakh.