The Hindu : Deshpande tells local companies to invest in State

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 23, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Mangalore

Deshpande tells local companies to invest in State

By Our Staff Correspondent

MANGALORE, FEB. 22. The Minister for Large and Medium-scale Industries, R.V. Deshpande, has called upon local companies to come forward to set up industries in the State instead of paving the way for multinational companies to establish their base here.

He was addressing a gathering at the valedictory function of a printers' convention organised as part of "Karavali Print Fest 2004" by the Karavali Printers' Association, here on Saturday. The Minister said Mangalore Refineries and Petrochemicals Ltd. had sent a proposal to the Government seeking permission to produce 1,500 MW of power and supply petroleum gas from Mangalore to Bidadi near Bangalore.

Mr. Deshpande said the State stood second in the country in attracting foreign direct investment. While the industrial policy of the State presented in 1996 laid emphasis on providing concessions, the thrust of the 2001 policy was on creating infrastructure and upgrading technology. He said small-scale industries (SSIs) should produce quality goods to survive in the market. It was inevitable for them to upgrade their technology for the purpose. The Minister recalled that the former Chief Minister, late Ramakrishna Hegde, had given permission to private institutions to establish professional educational institutions in the State. Hegde's foresight had paved the way for the creation of human resources.

Mr. Deshpande said the annual transaction of the printing industry in the country stood at Rs. 50,000 crore while its annual exports totalled Rs. 2,500 crore. It gave employment to about five lakh people directly and three lakh people indirectly.

Mr. Deshpande said the printing industry was the third leading industry in the country after information technology enabled services and pharmaceutical industry. There were about 1.20 lakh printing press units in the country and their investment stood at Rs. 8,000 crore.

The Dharmadhikari of Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala, D. Veerendra Heggade, presented the Mudrana Ratna Award to T. Sathish U. Pai, Managing Editor, Udayavani, and felicitated him on the occasion. Mr. Heggade said the contribution of Mr. Pai to the printing industry was immense. The Minister for Transport, B. Ramanath Rai, released a souvenir, Akshara-2, on the occasion. V. Dhananjaya Kumar and Vinaya Kumar Sorake, former MPs, the Mayor, K. Diwakar, and the Managing Editor of Taranga, Sandhya S. Pai, were present.

Earlier, Mr. Deshpande, who laid the foundation stone for a road from the Baikampady Industrial Area to the New Mangalore Port, said the development of industries would pave the way for better investment and boost trade and commerce. Outlining the development programmes in Dakshina Kannada district, Mr. Deshpande said Rs. 10 crore would be spent on the Mangalore-Hassan railway line broadgauge conversion project. This apart, he said investments would also be made on the export promotion and industrial park, the Bajpe Airport expansion project, and other works. K. Vijaykumar Shetty, Suratkal MLA, stressed the need to develop arterial roads connecting interior areas with national highways and district roads.

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