It is not for nothing that Karnataka has become the most sought after destination for investors across the country as well as internationally.
Huge investments are coming to Karnataka because of the efforts of Chief Minister Siddaramiah and the pro-active Industry Minister R.V. Deshpande. Karnataka has very efficient officers like K. Ratna Prabha (additional chief secretary, Commerce & Industries department), Gaurav Gupta (Commissioner for Industrial Development & Director of Industries & Commerce) and other bureaucrats. The best part about investments in Karnataka is that they keep coming continuously, without much hype or hoopla, simply due to the efficiency and smooth clearances of the Karnataka government.
For a young entrepreneur like me, what I am looking forward to is that “Invest Karnataka 2016” will not only help bring in investments and give an opportunity to investors to become prosperous, but it is also going to create huge employment opportunities for the local people here.
The straightforward message from the Chief Minister is that he has instructed his bureaucrats that he believes in fast clearance of projects rather than signing a lot of MOUs.
Karnataka is known for its own ecosystem and is known as the start-up capital of India after the Silicon Valley due to the excellent environment here and supreme quality of people’s skills and talents.
My main agenda is to bring investors and upcoming entrepreneurs together. We have organised various seminars and conferences for development. What I am looking for is expansion of my business as this is possible due to the excellent ecosystem for investors in Karnataka. In addition, young entrepreneurs are looking forward to getting associated with some investors to expand their business and “Invest Karnataka 2016” is an opportunity to connect with those investors and the Karnataka government is really playing a positive role of in bringing them together.
“My main agenda is to bring investors and upcoming entrepreneurs together. We have organised various seminars and conferences for development. What I am looking for is expansion of my business as this is possible due to the excellent ecosystem for investors in Karnataka. ‘Invest Karnataka 2016’ is an opportunity to connect with young entrepreneurs and investors.”
Some problems do exist, including that of traffic congestion. However, fortunately, the Chief Minister and the recently elected Bengaluru Corporation have started working on it and the long-drawn problem will be solved in the course of time. The government has taken a very positive initiative in this regard. I have heard from some quarters that the Chief Minister is personally looking into it and that is a good sign. When the Chief Minister was the finance minister, he had introduced VAT in Karnataka. That itself shows his pro-active approach towards the business community and attracting investments. I appeal to investors to connect with Karnataka’s development story, join hands with the state government and take advantage of the schemes and policies for start-up ventures.
(S.R. Mehroz Khan is an entrepreneur and the chairman of Explore Karnataka Foundation in Bengaluru)