Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar urged companies to prioritise Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) spending on primary education and announced that the State Government would constitute a dedicated team to monitor CSR projects across Karnataka.

Addressing the Global CSR and Sustainability Summit 2026 organised by the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) on July 23, Mr. Shivakumar said Karnataka has around 10,000 CSR initiatives, and that the government would establish a separate monitoring mechanism to track their implementation across districts.

Calling primary education the government’s immediate priority, he asked industries to adopt government schools, strengthen educational infrastructure, and contribute skilled professionals to improve learning outcomes.

“I want you to adopt schools and build infrastructure,” he said, citing companies such as Toyota as examples of corporates already supporting school development. He added that CSR should extend beyond infrastructure creation to building human capacity in schools.

The Chief Minister said CSR should be viewed as an investment in sustainable development rather than charity, and credited former Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee with introducing the CSR framework in the country.

Mr. Shivakumar highlighted Karnataka’s education and talent ecosystem, saying the State has 38 international schools, 71 colleges that produce nearly 13,900 doctors and about one lakh other healthcare professionals annually, and an information technology sector employing around 26 lakh persons.

Referring to Bengaluru’s growth, he said the city’s population had nearly doubled from around 70 lakh during his earlier tenure as a minister in the S.M. Krishna government to about 1.4 crore now. He added that the city had emerged as a preferred global destination because of the foundation laid by earlier leaders, its educational institutions, and its technology ecosystem.

The Chief Minister said Karnataka’s industrial growth had been driven by hubs, such as Electronics City and International Tech Park Bengaluru (ITPL), while organisations such as FKCCI had contributed to the State’s economic development well before the emergence of the information technology and artificial intelligence sectors.

He called for balanced regional development, saying the State should look beyond Bengaluru, and ensure quality educational opportunities are available in rural areas so that students are not compelled to migrate to the State capital for schooling.

Emphasising the need to balance labour welfare and industrial growth, Mr. Shivakumar said both employers and employees are equally important for sustaining economic development. He added that emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, were transforming society rapidly, making investments in education and sustainability increasingly important.