"Our own?" Bengaluru is in India": MB Patil as Goyal says 'need our own Silicon Valley'

Recently, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal proposed creating a new township dedicated to startups, entrepreneurs, and innovators to establish a new Silicon Valley in India.

“We should aspire to go beyond. We should aspire to have our own Silicon Valley… I know Bengaluru is the Silicon Valley of India, but it's time we started thinking about tying up with NICDC and creating a whole new township dedicated to entrepreneurs, startups, innovators, and disruptors,” Piyush Goyal said.

In response, MB Patil, who is the Cabinet Minister for Large & Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development in Karnataka, slammed Goyal's comments, stating that Bengaluru is already a crucial part of India’s innovation ecosystem.

“Our Own ?” Bengaluru is in India. India is our Country," Patil wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Subscribe to our newsletter for a daily roundup of the startup ecosystem

“Our Own ?”



Bengaluru is in India. India is our Country.



Bengaluru wasn’t built in a Day, it took decades, centuries to build Bengaluru.



You can build structures, roads, and infrastructure. An ecosystem takes decades to build. Bengaluru is the hub of Indias, knowledge… https://t.co/hSiRP6ynHh pic.twitter.com/IpTM5hync7

— M B Patil (@MBPatil) September 17, 2024

Patil further highlighted that it took decades to build Bengaluru into the Silicon Valley of India.

"You can build structures, roads, and infrastructure. An ecosystem takes decades to build. Bengaluru is the hub of Indias, knowledge ecosystem," Patil wrote.

He also urged Minister Piyush Goyal to help further the development of “Namma Bengaluru” as a global city and assist wherever possible in making Knowledge, Healthcare, Innovation, and Research (KHIR) City a major global destination.

"I urge @PiyushGoyalOffc Sh @PiyushGoyal to rather use his offices to help further our own “Namma Bengaluru” as a global city, and also assist where possible in making KHIR a massive global destination."

It's worth noting that Karnataka aims to attract Rs 40,000 crore in investments in the healthcare, innovation, and knowledge sectors, creating 80,000 jobs in the proposed KHIR City.

According to reports, the city would focus on key sectors such as mobility, semiconductors, advanced materials, aerospace, defense and space technology, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing.