Priyank Kharge on Bengaluru’s paradox: Balancing growth, gridlock, and hope

"No government in the world is fully ready for the pace of urbanisation and technology change,” said Priyank Kharge, Minister of Electronics, Information Technology & Biotechnology, and Rural Development & Panchayat Raj, Government of Karnataka. “But we’re trying our best to decongest and decentralise.”

Few cities capture that paradox better than Bengaluru, the beating heart of India’s startup ecosystem, where innovation and infrastructure constantly race each other. Celebrated for its entrepreneurial energy and global ambition, the city is equally infamous for its gridlock. Kharge doesn’t sidestep the contradiction. “We’re growing immensely, rapidly,” he acknowledged.

The state’s response, he said, is infrastructure at scale: 95 km of new metro lines, 160 km of suburban rail, 4,500 electric buses, and tunnel roads connecting the city’s north and south. “The government always plays catch-up to growth,” he admitted. “But we’re trying our best to decongest and decentralise.”

Kharge was speaking at the 16th edition of YourStory’s flagship event TechSparks 2025.

Kharge’s comfort in discussing both design and technology stems from his pre-political life. Trained in graphic design and animation, he worked briefly with European firms before turning to public service.

“I’m an animator,” he said with a smile. “So when you see the advertisements from my department, now you know why they look good.”

That blend of creative and technical thinking, he believes, has shaped his approach to governance. “If you throw anything at me, I’ll go back, unlearn, and relearn,” he said. “It’s always good to be around people smarter than you.”

Asked what makes him hopeful about India’s future, Kharge paused. “I’m a realist,” he said. “As a government, I need to deliver within ten years, not by 2047.”

But his optimism, he added, is rooted in people, in the talent, agility, and ambition he sees across Karnataka’s youth. “The demography, the knowledge, the skill set, the aspiration, it’s all there,” he said. “We just need to create policies and environments that help them evolve and succeed.”

For Kharge, Bengaluru’s story of ambition, chaos, and constant reinvention is also India’s. The

challenge, as he sees it, is not to slow that momentum but to make sure the infrastructure, governance, and opportunity keep pace with the people driving it.