Staggering white-collar success of Bengaluru has left a non-urban world behind, says Bagchi

Bengaluru has become a hub for technology firms, multinational corporations and a large pool of white‑collar professionals. The city’s success has attracted investment, raised living standards for many residents and positioned Karnataka as a leading state in the Indian digital economy. However, this concentration of high‑pay jobs has left many non‑urban areas lagging behind, with limited access to similar opportunities and slower economic growth.

The chairman of Karnataka’s Skill Vision Group, Bagchi, highlighted a long‑standing mismatch between the country’s premier engineering institutions and the vocational training system. While the Indian Institutes of Technology have expanded their reach and reputation since the 1950s, the Industrial Training Institutes have struggled to keep pace with changing industry needs. Bagchi argued that both pathways must operate in harmony, delivering complementary skills that feed the same economic engine.

Policy makers are now being urged to design programmes that link advanced technical education with practical, hands‑on training. Such coordination could help workers from smaller towns acquire the credentials needed to join Bengaluru’s growing firms, while also providing the city with a broader talent base. The goal is to create a more inclusive growth model that benefits the entire state, not just its urban centre.