Karnataka   

Karnataka to appoint `ambassadors' of industry in U.S., Europe

Special Correspondent

Several MNCs keen on investing in Karnataka, says Minister

BANGALORE: The Karnataka Government is planning to appoint "ambassadors of industry" for the State by choosing leading non-resident Indians (NRIs) in the U.S., Europe, East Asia and countries in West Asia to bring investment to Karnataka, Minister for Industries Katta Subramanya Naidu told presspersons on Saturday.

He was part of a high-level delegation led by Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa that toured the U.S. from August 31 to September 10. The issue would be soon finalised after discussions with Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and Mr. Yediyurappa, the Minister said. Several multinational companies (MNCs) based in the U.S. have evinced keen interest to invest in information technology (IT), IT-enabled services, hardware and medical tourism. Proposals of at least Rs. 2,000 crore would be finalised soon. The delegation held one-to-one meetings with business leaders at Baltimore, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles and urged them to invest in the State. Starting next week several U.S. business delegations would visit the city to interact with the Government to work out investment modalities, he said.

Genomic Solutions, an MNC, has shown interest in setting up a biotechnology university with a research and development centre that will employ 1,500 persons, with an investment of Rs. 4,000 crore. It is looking for a campus between Bangalore and Mysore. The State delegation visited the Intel headquarters at Santa Clara. The company will be investing Rs. 5,000 crore on software parks in Bangalore and Mysore in the next two years. The IT giant has agreed to work with Government to establish skills development centres in two districts, according to Mr. Naidu.

MedWrite company executives will be shortly filing an application in Bangalore to set up two IT firms with an investment of Rs. 1,500 crore. This will generate 8,000 jobs.

TSI Ventures, Tishman Speyer and ICICI Ventures, New York, propose to set up a convention centre and township in Bangalore.

Mr. Naidu said prominent medical doctors of Karnataka origin in the U.S. had shown interest in investing in "Medicity" in Bangalore while bio-technologists from Los Angeles would like to invest in biotech parks in Shimoga or Mandya districts. TSMC had expressed its readiness to develop a semi-conductor complex in Mysore, while an entrepreneur association from Los Angeles proposed to establish an IT park on 200 acres of land in Mysore. On the Government's invitation, George Pataki, Governor of New York, will visit the State in October end. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California, had proposed to visit the State next year, the Minister said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Karnataka to appoint `ambassadors' of industry in U.S., Europe
Briefly

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu