Plan to avail 50,000 acres of land for industrial development within 6 months: Minister

Bengaluru: Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Karnataka organised the Annual Meeting 2022-23 in the city. The meeting was marked by an engaging discussion on"Karnataka@100: Sustainable Futures - Digital Transformation and Upskilling. Dr.Murugesh R Nirani, Minister for Large and Medium Scale Industries, Government of Karnataka delivered the inaugural address.

CII Karnataka released the vision document Towards Karnataka@100 in collaboration with IIM Bangalore at the Inaugural Session. The vision document prepared in consultation with the stakeholders from across the state, capturing their inputs and aspirations for Karnataka@100 brought out a collective vision of an inclusive sustainable future powered by innovation.

CII Karnataka also announced the election of new office bearers for CII Karnataka State Council for the year 2023-24. Vijaykrishnan Venkatesan Managing Director of Kennametal India Limited (KIL) was elected as the new Chairman while VenuNuguri, Managing Director and CEO of Hitachi Energy will serve as the Vice Chairman.

The State Minister for Large and Medium Scale Industries, Dr.Murugesh R Nirani stated that Karnataka is number one in ease of doing business and in receiving FDI in the country at 38 per cent. In Aerospace and Defence also, Karnataka is number one in the country with more than 63 per cent share. All major multinational companies in the aerospace sector have set up their R&D centre in Karnataka.

Dr.Nirani shared that Karnataka Government is committed to decongesting Bengaluru and developing infrastructure in Karnataka as a top priority. The Government is looking to build around 17 or 18 airports in Karnataka each within a radius of 100 kilometres from the other. Road connectivity is also being improving with the objective to enhance the industrial connectivity across Karnataka with other states. According to him, Beyond Bengaluru will become a reality soon.

Speaking about the Global Investors Meet 2022, Dr.Nirani stated that Rs. 9.81 lakh crores worth of MOU were signed which would generate 7 to 8 lakh jobs in the State. He said that government is in sync with CII's Beyond Bangalore concept, and highlighted that only less than 10 per cent of these investments (during GIM) were for Bangalore, with 90 per cent directed outside Bangalore, in Tier 2 and tier 3 cities.

He further said that 50 per cent to 60 per cent of the MOUs signed during the Global Investors Meet will be operational within 5 years. Making land available for industrial development is of high priority for the government and the process of availing land parcels of 50,000 acres in the State including 20,000 acres in Bengaluru and over 30,000 acres of land outside the city will be available within 6 months.

The Chairperson, CII Southern Region and Managing Director Bharat Biotech International Ltd, Suchitra Ella said that the industry is currently in the early stages of a sustainability Revolution. To prepare for the sustainability revolution, companies need to rethink their approach on new skills and new jobs and academic institutions to bridge that gaps in R&D.

The Deputy Chairman, CII Southern Region and President and Managing Director, Volvo Group India Pvt Ltd, Kamal Bali emphasised the need for India to focus on its transition to sustainable manufacturing not just by the large players but also within the MSME sector. Promoting sustainable manufacturing as a thrust area will be the need of the hour to be visible as a leader in the Global Value Chain.

The Chairman, CII Karnataka State Council and Director, NR Group and Managing Director, Cycle Pure Agarbathis, Arjun Ranga said that CII Karnataka has been working towards inclusive and sustainable growth by focusing on the development of Tier-2 cities and will continue to work on enhancing the ease of doing business, especially for MSMEs and strengthen the ecosystem for entrepreneurship and youth engagement.