Karnataka: Priyank Kharge seeks EVM hackathon; action plan for AI in the offing

In a candid interview with The Federal, Karnataka’s IT and Rural Development Minister Priyank Kharge breaks down three urgent concerns—electoral transparency, artificial intelligence, and misinformation. As national attention grows on election integrity and digital disruptions, Kharge says Karnataka is pushing ahead with progressive solutions, even as key institutions remain unresponsive.

Why has the Election Commission ignored your proposal for an EVM ethical hackathon?

Last year, I wrote to the Election Commission suggesting an ethical hackathon on EVMs. Unfortunately, I haven’t received a reply yet.

It was a detailed letter, referencing submissions the EC itself made before the Supreme Court. I proposed that Bengaluru, as the technology capital of the world, host this initiative. We have top-tier R&D centres and highly trained professionals here. Let the hackathon happen under judicial oversight—whoever the EC suggests—along with participation from both public and private research institutions.

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If there are no faults in the machines, great. If there are, let’s find ways to fix them. But for the EC to completely ignore a formal proposal from a minister representing the world’s fourth-largest tech cluster—it’s simply not acceptable. I plan to follow up again next week.

How is Karnataka preparing for the impact of AI on jobs and governance?

We’ve reached out to the private sector across Karnataka, asking for feedback on how AI is impacting the workforce. The aim is to ensure that our policies and programmes are future-ready. We’re assessing AI’s role in reshaping job functions, business processes, and even governance models. We want to know what’s working in the private sector and how those insights can be adapted to improve service delivery in the government sector too.

We expect to receive consolidated feedback within the next month. Based on that, we’ll create a framework that helps us respond strategically to AI’s evolving impact.

Will Karnataka introduce a bill to combat fake news and misinformation?

Yes, we’re actively discussing a bill to tackle misinformation.

India ranks number one globally when it comes to misinformation and fake news. It’s been flagged as a serious concern, even a threat to democracy. That’s why we’re mulling a dedicated misinformation bill at the state level. The goal is to curb the spread of fake content and protect the integrity of public discourse.

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