The recent suggestion by RV Deshpande , Karnataka’s minister for large & medium industries and infrastructure development, that Bengaluru be given the status of a second capital of India has sparked off an interesting debate.For a country as vast and ethnically diverse as India, I believe there is a compelling case to create a southern capital for all the reasons that Deshpande has outlined in his letter to the prime minister.The concept of two capital cities is not uncommon: nearly 15 countries across the world have multiple capitals. For instance, Bolivia, Georgia and the Netherlands have two capitals! South Africa has three capitals — Bloemfontein, Cape Town, and Pretoria — that house its judicial, legislative and executive branches.Bengaluru’s strongest claim to being India’s second capital lies in its status as the country’s science and technology (S&T) hub. It’s only our scientific prowess that can help propel India into a higher growth orbit.Bengaluru boasts a mature S&T ecosystem, which has attracted several MNCs to invest in the city to conduct their R&D operations. The government, industry and academia here have provided the impetus for the development of the S&T sector in terms of the availability of a scientific workforce, world-class R&D infrastructure and investor-friendly policies.The information technology and biotechnology booms have engendered a strong entrepreneurial culture in the city. Bengaluru is already the “Science Capital”, “Startup Capital”, “IT Capital” and “Biotechnology Capital” of the country.By proposing it as a second capital, the intent is not to duplicate the administrative infrastructure with overlapping jurisdictions, but rather to have a more efficient and optimal distribution of ministries between New Delhi and Bengaluru. It means leveraging the core competence of Bengaluru as India’s Knowledge Capital.The city possesses the kind of intellectual capital that can drive the evolution of forward-looking, next-generation policies that will enable India to leapfrog to global leadership in S&T. There is a strong case for implementing over the next five years a plan to relocate the science-related ministries from New Delhi to Bengaluru. These ministries will benefit immensely from the scientific culture of the city. It will also help the government in keeping its ear to the ground when formulating policies.The success of India’s space programmes is due in large measure to the Department of Space being based in Bengaluru. Housing the ministries of science & technology and electronics & information technology in Bengaluru would throw open many new avenues for closer collaboration that can lead to greater success of these sectors. For instance, agencies like Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), if located in Bengaluru, can benefit immensely from the large IT ecosystem and the rising status of the city as the data science hub of the country.As India’s Science Capital, Bengaluru can be the epicentre for pushing India towards a more digital and formalised economy, while enabling e-governance and participatory policy-making through the government’s Digital India initiative. Currently, the southern states feel alienated when it comes to a redress of issues and policymaking.As a second centre of administrative power, Bengaluru can help ease the burden of governance through greater expediency and efficiency.By giving Bengaluru the status of India’s second capital, not only will the Indian government help unleash the huge potential of the country’s innovative S&T prowess, it will also send out a strong signal that the South is a very integral part of the country.The writer is CMD, Biocon , and president, Bangalore Political Action Committee