After Kerala, it is now the turn of Karnataka to ask the Union human resources development ministry to sanction an Indian Institute of Technology for the state.

"The Centre has proposed to set up six new IITs in various parts of the country. Bangalore is home to several prestigious educational and research institutes. We have written to the Centre to set up an IIT in Karnataka," chief minister H D Kumaraswamy told reporters here after a review meeting of higher education on Wednesday.

Bangalore already has several reputed national institutes like Indian Institute of Science, Indian Institute of Management, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Statistical Institute, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, National Law School of India University, National Dairy Research Institute and Indian Institute of Information Technology.

"The city is known as a knowledge centre. For long, we have felt the need for an IIT. It is for the Union human resources development ministry to select the location. I hope the Centre will respond in a positive manner," he added.

The government has decided to upgrade all district hospitals to 1,000-bed capacity through public private partnership programmes. "At present, many of the hospitals have varied in-patient treatment capacity. Upgrading them to the level of 1,000-bed capacity will enable the government to start medical colleges at district level," he contended.

Kumaraswamy said that a new medical college will be set up on Magadi Road in Bangalore with an estimated investment of Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) in 2007.

The Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, the nodal agency that monitors medical colleges in Karnataka, will have a new campus on Magadi Road spread over 73 acres of land.

"The new medical college and the RGUHS will be located on the same campus," he stated.