Large-scale immigration to Bangalore began in the 1950s as the state invested heavily in the public sector and in education. Employment opportunities were created for tens of thousands of people in southern India, and Bangalore grew to become one of the largest cities in the country. For several decades the city s economic growth was based largely on manufacturing industries. In the early 1990s, however, a combination of new national economic liberalization policies and the emergence of a strong education system in the city encouraged the development of an information and communications technology (ICT) sector in Bangalore and paved the way for its rapid development into both a national and a global ICT centre.
Aircraft, railway-coach, and machine-tool installations in the city are run by the federal government, and the state owns plants manufacturing electrical and telephone equipment, porcelain, and soap. Privately owned entities produce pharmaceuticals, textiles radio parts, glassware, leather and footwear, agricultural implements, paper, and watches. Sandalwood products and agarbattis are also manufactured in Bengaluru.