Minister reaffirms that Karnataka believes in
competition and transparency
Karnataka is always
ready to welcome foreign and domestic investors with open arms like a family
member. Stating this in his keynote address at the Plenary Session on
‘Karnataka – Surging Ahead’ on Day 2 of the three-day CII Partnership Summit
being organised in Bangalore, Mr R V Deshpande, Minister of Higher Education,
Government of Karnataka, urged investors to take advantage of the immense
growth potential that Karnataka offers to business.
From his experience
of handling investments in Karnataka for over a decade, Mr Deshpande stated
that Karnataka has the richest potential for investments. He pointed out that
industrial liberalisation in the state and country brought about greater
competition and transparency for investors. He said that Karnataka believes in
competition and transparency.
Mr Kaushik Mukherjee,
Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka, said in his address that there has
been a sea-change in the IT software industry that is now increasingly focused
on high-end design software development. He added that the state is making
massive investments in physical infrastructure development, such as the
elevated road linking Bangalore’s international airport.
Mr Mukherjee said
that the state government is promoting industries that are environment friendly
and do not encroach on lands meant for agriculture. The state is zealously
protecting agriculture land, but to make available land to industries certain
amendments to land rules are being undertaken. Mr Mukherjee assured the
gathering that the state will also make single window schemes much more
effective. He stated that the state is ushering in a transparent power grid that
will provide impetus to generation of solar energy.
Mr Siraj A Chaudhry,
Chairman, Cargill India Pvt. Ltd, spoke about the reasons his company chose
Karnataka over any other state. One of the many challenges in agro business is
to attract global capital to India. And this would be possible only if a state
provided an ideal policy environment along with access to talent and
technology. Karnataka had all that to offer.
Mr Soumitra
Bhattacharya, Chairman, CII Karnataka State Council, spoke about the ease of
doing business in Karnataka where skilled manpower is easily available not just
in Bangalore but also in the tier two cities in the state. 60% of Bosch
workforce belong to Karnataka. Mr Bhattacharya said that Bosch is happy to be
in Karnataka and happy to grow in Karnataka.
Mr B Santhanam,
Chairman, CII South Region focused on the three I’s that makes Karnataka the
hub of investment opportunity -- Institutions, Innovation and Inclusivity. Karnataka’s
tryst with institutions is known worldwide as it houses world-class
institutions of research, management and technical institutions.
Karnataka is home to
innovations in the fields of infrastructure, manufacturing, IT and many
more. More than anything, Karnataka is an inclusive state where people
from all over the nation come here to work, he said.
Mr Ajay S Shriram,
President Designate, CII, talked about the wide range of industries that are
centred in Karnataka ranging from animation, tourism, and textiles, to IT,
education and health.