Bangalore: After its stupendous stride in IT services, Karnataka is now eying IT enabled services in a big way and is set to act on a McKinsey report which spelt out a strategy to create one million jobs in knowledge-based industries in the state over the next 10 years.

McKinsey, which carried out the study at the behest of Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Karnataka government and Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), has spoken about how initiatives in training, marketing and infrastructure could generate such a huge employment.

The findings of the report were presented to Karnataka IT Task Force, chaired by Chief Minister S M Krishna, on July 22 evening.

Briefing reporters later, Karnataka IT Minister D B Inamdar and IT Secretary Vivek Kulkarni, said that the government proposed to come out with a policy for IT enabled services in a month after incorporating suggestions from Task Force members.

The Task Force members included Pradeep Kar, Srini Rajam and Ghanshyam Das.

The McKinsey report was not made public. Das said that it basically talks of how strengthening of enablers would serve the cause.

The report, Kulkarni said, stressed the need to promote Karnataka and Bangalore as a brand and attract investment to the state. The million jobs in the private sector that would be targeted also includes in IT services and biotechnology.

McKinsey also recommended promoting secondary centres such as Mysore, Hubli, Mangalore, Gulbarga and Belgaum. "The potential for growth in these centres is 50 times compared to probably five times in Bangalore," Kulkarni said.

Sources indicated that the government is likely to come out with ITES policy before Krishna's visit to the US that begins on August 28.

Asked if Krishna would "kick-off" marketing campaign for Karnataka in the US, Inamdar replied in the affirmative.

PTI