Bengaluru’s Electronic City To Be Renamed, Honoring Devaraj Urs: Report

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that Bengaluru's iconic Electronic City will be renamed in honor of former Chief Minister D Devaraj Urs. The announcement was made during a ceremony at Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday, August 20, celebrating Urs's 109th birth anniversary, as reported by The News Minute.

Siddaramaiah lauded Urs for his dedicated efforts to promote social equality and uplift marginalized communities, including Dalits, Backward Classes, minorities, and women.

During the event, Siddaramaiah also highlighted Urs's crucial role in renaming the state to Karnataka in 1973, following its unification in 1956. The Chief Minister mentioned that the year-long celebrations commemorating the renaming will culminate in November with the unveiling of a statue of Kannada Bhuvaneshwari at the Vidhana Soudha.

The concept of Electronic City was initially developed by RK Baliga, the first chairman and managing director of the Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Ltd. (Keonics), according to the report. Urs supported Baliga's vision and appointed him to lead Keonics in 1976, which led to the establishment of Electronic City.

Urs is also credited with laying the foundation stone for the tech hub in 1978 on 332 acres of land in Konappana Agrahara and Doddathogur on Bengaluru-Hosur Road. Covering over 800 acres, Electronic City initially hosted public sector enterprises but soon attracted private firms, especially during the IT boom of the 1990s.

Today, Electronic City is home to more than 200 IT/ITES companies and has played a significant role in establishing Bengaluru as the "Silicon Valley of India," with major tech companies like Infosys and Wipro setting up their headquarters there.

Bangalore, now known as Bengaluru, is often called the "Electronic City of India" because of its substantial IT and electronics sectors. The city hosts major multinational corporations, including Infosys, Wipro, and IBM, contributing to its reputation as a tech hub.