Engineering Growth: The Ideas Driving South India's Enterprise Momentum
Engineering Growth: The Ideas Driving South India's Enterprise Momentum Published By, Last Updated: July 29, 2026, 17:59 IST Across technology, manufacturing, healthcare and governance, South
Engineering Growth: The Ideas Driving South India's Enterprise Momentum Published By, Last Updated: July 29, 2026, 17:59 IST Across technology, manufacturing, healthcare and governance, South India is increasingly shaping the ideas, policies and institutions powering India's next chapter. Rapid Read Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar at News18 Rising Bharat Summit. As India charts its next phase of economic growth, one message came through clearly at the News18 Rising Bharat Summit – South Regional Edition in Bengaluru: the country’s enterprise story is no longer being driven by one sector or one state alone. Across technology, manufacturing, healthcare and governance, South India is increasingly shaping the ideas, policies and institutions powering India’s next chapter. The conversations brought together ministers from Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, each presenting a different piece of the region’s growth story. While the priorities varied, the larger direction remained the same: building globally competitive industries, creating opportunities beyond traditional economic hubs and ensuring that growth remains inclusive. This theme was captured in the special address by Shri D. K. Shivakumar, Chief Minister, Karnataka, who spoke about the importance of states growing together rather than competing with one another. “When Karnataka grows, India will grow. When Tamil Nadu succeeds, India will succeed. When Telangana innovates, India will innovate. When Andhra Pradesh exports, India will export… This is the true meaning of cooperative federalism," he said, describing South India as a key driver of India’s economic future.
Technology was another recurring theme throughout the summit. As India’s Global Capability Centres continue to expand, the conversation is shifting from scale to value creation. Shri D. Sridhar Babu, Minister for IT, Electronics & Communications, Industries & Commerce and Legislative Affairs, Telangana, highlighted that the next milestone is not simply attracting more GCCs but enabling them to create intellectual property, build products and lead innovation. “All these capability centres should become value centres," he remarked, underlining India’s ambition to move further up the global technology value chain. The discussion around manufacturing reflected a similar shift. Growth, speakers suggested, has to extend beyond established industrial corridors. Shri T. G. Bharath, Minister for Industries, Commerce and Food Processing, Andhra Pradesh, spoke about creating opportunities across every district through MSME parks, start-up ecosystems, AI infrastructure and data centres. “For us, from north to south, east to west, every district has to grow," he said, outlining a development model that aims to spread investment and employment more evenly across the state. Enterprise was also discussed beyond the lens of business and industry. Dr. K. G. Arunraj, Minister for Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare, Tamil Nadu, brought the focus back to people, speaking about empathy as the foundation of public service. “The first thing I learned in medicine is empathy… once we know the pain of the poor, the pain of the sick, the words we speak heal half the disease," he said, explaining how that philosophy continues to shape Tamil Nadu’s approach to specialist care, cancer treatment, mental healthcare and patient-centric services.
The BriefWire