Bengaluru: The State Government is mulling on the idea of setting up a ‘Knowledge City’ (Jnana Nagara) to take the higher education to international standards and by 2018 every Gram Panchayat (GP) in the State will have WiFi facility.

Chief Minister Siddharamaiah made these announcements at the Independence Day address to the State at the Manekshaw Parade Grounds, here yesterday and said that to take higher education to international level in the State, a Knowledge City will be developed.

Apart from this, as announced in the last I-Day address, 2,500  GPs in the State will have WiFi facility and by 2018 the remaining 3,500 GPs will also be WiFi enabled. Thus, the whole State will become a WiFi State, he declared.

In order to improve intake in technical education, 23 hostels will be opened. Besides, to stress on higher education in Hyderabad-Karnataka region, a University will be set up in Raichur and all the colleges in Raichur and Yadgir districts will come under this University, he said.

Efforts will also be made to bring the children of minorities back to school and in the next two years nearly 200 Maulana Azad-type model schools will be started to compensate for the closing of a number of Government Urdu Schools, said Siddharamaiah.