The Karnataka Government, irrespective of the prevailing political confusion arising out of a section of the ruling party demanding a change of leadership, is stepping up activities to promote the Global Investors Meet (GIM)-2012 to be held in June.
A series of road shows will be held across the country and abroad to promote the event.
Minister for Large- and Medium-Scale Industries Murugesh R. Nirani was in Kolkata on Saturday where the first of the road shows was held. He held discussions with key industry leaders, including those from the ITC group, apart from 120 other possible investors.
Incidentally, while the first GIM was held in 2010 under the leadership of then Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, the plan for the ensuing meet too was prepared by him.
GIM-2010 generated an investment of Rs. 5,300 crore and 36 units have taken off the ground while another 36 are under construction and 250 units are in the pipeline.
Schedule
In the run up to GIM-2012, road shows will be held in New Delhi on February 29, in Hubli on March 5, Mumbai on March 7, Pune on March 26 and Hyderabad on March 28.
Later, the Industries Minister, accompanied by a high-level delegation from the State, will meet prospective investors in Singapore, Taiwan and Japan from April 3 to 7, and visit Latin American countries between April 10 and 14 and the U.S. from April 16 to 18.
Mr. Nirani told The Hindu : “We are offering a red-carpet welcome to prospective investors for GIM-2012 to be held on June 7 and 8.
Prior to this, the Industries Department would gear up to complete preliminary formalities in finalising the investments.
“We expect an investment of at least Rs. 5 lakh crore, providing employment to 10 lakh people,” he said.
“Nearly 62 per cent of the MoUs signed during GIM-2010 are in various stages of implementation. Commissioning of industries involves a long gestation period and Karnataka has achieved quite a bit in two years,” he said.
“We are happy with the success of GIM-2010 which saw the participation of over 7,000 delegates and 2,000 companies from 21 countries and 21 States. Karnataka has taken several proactive steps to attract and retain investments across several sectors.”
To showcase initiatives
GIM-2012 would be a platform for Karnataka to showcase its strengths, proactive policies and initiatives taken to improve governance and investor-friendly climate, the Minister said.
At the Kolkata programme, Mr. Nirani invited entrepreneurs from West Bengal and adjoining regions to invest in Karnataka and highlighted the initiatives taken by the State for augmenting infrastructure, incentives available for industries, and advantages of investing in Karnataka.
