One Year achievement book released by Hon’ble Chief Minister of Karnataka

Bangalore: Karnataka state government led-by Large and Medium Scale Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar held talks with Union Minister for Coal, Parliamentary Affairs and Mines Pralhad Joshi to explore the possibility of obtaining 3,200 acres of land from Bharat Gold Mines Ltd, owned by Kolar Gold Fields, to set up an industrial park in Kolar.

“We held talks with Union Minister Pralhad Joshi to obtain 3,200 acres of unused land at Bharat Gold Mines Ltd to set up an Industrial park in Kolar,” Large and Medium Scale Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar said.

He was addressing the media at vidhanasoudha after the Launch of Industry Department One Year achievement book by Chief Minister. The availability of the land will be known in six months after a survey is undertaken by the Mines and Geology department to assess the presence of any natural resources. After the survey, if the land parcel does not possess any natural resources, then Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) shall obtain the land from the Ministry of Mines with necessary approvals to set up an Industrial park. The land is strategically located at 90kms from Bangalore airport, 260 km from Chennai Port, 314 km from Krishnapatnam port, he said.

The 3200-acre land parcel is under the ownership of Bharat Gold Mines Ltd, which falls under the administration of Kolar Gold Fields. The land parcel has the necessary infrastructure required to set up a full-fledged industrial park and generate employment to Kolar district. This is an effort by the Government of Karnataka government to attract investments to the state and decongest Bangalore and create industrial hubs across the state.

“Karnataka state government has attracted investments worth Rs 31,676.57 crore rupees in the last five months, and is expected to generate 65,459 direct employment opportunities, despite a global Covid-19 pandemic and months of stringent lockdown,” Shettar added.

The investment has been cleared in quick approvals under the State Level Single Window Clearance Committee (SLSWCC), State High-Level Clearance Committee (SHLCC) and Land Approval Committee (LAC) during the last five months between March-August 2020.

Keeping the investor-centric approach, our government has launched the New Industrial Policy 2020-2025, to build a prosperous Karnataka and create large-scale employment opportunities. This industrial policy is very forward-looking and brings with it several incentives and regulatory reforms such as land access and labour market regulation. Promoting economic and industrial development of our state has always been a top priority for our government, he said.

Karnataka has been an attractive investment destination and is one of the most industrially advanced states in India. Today, Karnataka is a nearly US$ 250 billion economy and has been leading the country in several sectors.

We have decided to amend the Karnataka Industrial Facilitation Act (2002) and allow industries to commence operations as soon as they get the necessary approval without having to wait for multiple clearances, Shettar added.