Bengaluru, Oct 11 (PTI) Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday called upon aspiring entrepreneurs to grow as big industrialists and invest in the state to give employment to a large number of people. "We had organised the Global Investors" Meet in the past asking multinational companies to invest in Karnataka but today I am inviting the future industrialists to invest in Karnataka and give jobs to people," Bommai told students at the launch of "Udyami Aagu, Udyoga Needu’ ("Be an Entrepreneur, Become an Employer"). The programme aims at attracting professional youths and students to entrepreneurship and employment generation. The programme was organised by The Department of Industries and Commerce, Government of Karnataka at Bangalore Palace on Monday. About 6,000 students participated in the programme, the organisers said. Bommai said Karnataka has more than 180 Research and Development Centres in various fields including information technology, biotechnology, engineering, electronics, aeronautics and space technology. Through these centres talent pool will come out, he added. According to him, Bengaluru became the Silicon Valley of India because of the R&D centres set up by visionary people. He asked the young entrepreneurs to invent new things. He also insisted upon making use of top institutes like Indian Institute of Science, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research -- Central Food Technological Research Institute (CSIR-CFTRI) in Mysuru and the Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore. Speaking about entrepreneurship, Bommai cited the example of Medium and Large Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani and Minister for Small Scale Industries M T B Nagaraj. The two ministers had started as small entrepreneurs and became big industrialists today, the Chief Minister said. PTI GMS BN BN