Bengaluru, Nov 18 : Karnataka is all set to play a major role in industry 4.0 spurred by a marked improvement in the quality and standards of higher education and the initiatives taken in the sector, according to Priya Balasubramaniam, Vice-President (Operations), Apple Inc. Speaking at the plenary session of 'Bengaluru Tech Summit-2021' virtually from California, US on Thursday, she said it is commendable that the government is encouraging thousands of students to start enterprises and become self-employed with the help of industry body Nasscom. Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Machine Learning, Augmented Virtual Reality and such technologies are at the forefront of enterprise technology and have become part and parcel of Indian learning, she said. Apple has been making its flagship iPhones in India since 2017 in Bengaluru and has now expanded its presence in Chennai. She said Apple has been able to generate direct and indirect employment to more than 1 million people in India through its partners. Priya Balasubramaniam said Apple has partnered with Bengaluru-based non-governmental firm 'Enable India' to provide solar lighting to more than 2,000 homes. The company has also provided digital equipment required for education to thousands of children belonging to poor families thereby fulfilling their educational aspirations. She said using the apps would become easier to do small businesses. Children have also begun to learn classical dance, music, and language with the help of the apps developed. Apple has used smart manufacturing methods and taken care to ensure that products have zero waste. Priya Balasubramaniam who began her address in Kannada said she was proud to be a Bengalurean and that she finished her engineering at the University Visveswarya College of Engineering in Bengaluru. "I was born and brought up and educated in Bengaluru. I am thankful to chief minister Basavaraj Bommai and appreciate and also congratulate the organizers of the Tech Summit. I am proud to say that I am a daughter of Karnataka," she said. /IANS