Karnataka govt stands committed to Industrial Development as Industries are key for Nation Building: DCM Shivakumar

Bengaluru: Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) organised an exclusive interaction with D K Shivakumar, Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka at CII EXCON 2023 on Saturday in Bengaluru. While interacting with select members, the Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said that the Government of Karnataka is committed towards Industrial Development in Karnataka as industries are playing a key role in national building and CII EXCON is once such initiative which has propelled infrastructure development in the country over the last two decades, thereby contributing to national growth.

The Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar said that CII EXCON has been reflecting the manufacturing capability and technological prowess of the State and many large construction equipment manufacturers are from Karnataka. In the construction industry, technologies are changing in a short span of time and the industry needs to be ready for adopting new technologies to stay competitive and platform like EXCON will greatly benefit the construction industry, he added.

The Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar said that the Government has been taking various steps to increase the power production in the state and urged industries to look at alternate forms of energy including captive power generation, which is very competitive in the state. Water, environment and waste management are other priority areas of the State. Speaking on the infrastructure improvements in Bangalore, particularly to ease the traffic movement, he said that the state government has proposed to build a 15 KM long tunnel to ease road traffic.

The Chairman, CII Southern Region, Kamal Bali in his opening remarks thanked the Deputy Chief Minister for the support provided by the Government of Karnataka to CII in organizing EXCON event in Bengaluru. His personal involvement and guidance has helped CII to successfully conclude the exhibition.

Bali said that CII EXCON is the flagship initiative of CII in the construction equipment sector and it is the largest exhibition of its kind in South Asia. This year, EXCON has set a new milestone in global participation, innovation, and inclusivity. With over 1,000 exhibitors from 15 countries showcasing cutting-edge technologies and the largest ever exhibition display area of 32 lakh square feet, EXCON continues to be a beacon of progress in the industry.

CII, during the interaction with the Chief Minister has made the following request for the benefit of industry in the State to open up a CII Water Institute Chapter in Karnataka to advocate on water management and conservation. To set up a branch of the CII Green Building Centre to facilitate energy transition to green energy. To create a large exhibition centre in Karnataka to organize international exhibitions which will benefit industries in the state and also showcase the strengths of Karnataka in the manufacturing and technology fields.

Prominent members participated at the session included; C P Rangachar, Past Chairman, CII Southern Region and Managing Director, Yuken India Ltd; Lakshmi Narayanan M, Past Chairman, CII Southern Region, Vijaykrishnan Venkatesan, Chairman, CII Karnataka and Managing Director, Kennametal; N Venu; Vice Chairman CII Karnataka and CEO - South East Asia, Hitachi Energy; Dimitrov Krishnan, Co-Chairman, CII EXCON 2023 and Managing Director, Volvo Construction Equipment India; Aman Choudhari, Past Chairman, CII Karnataka and Managing Director, Surin Automotive Pvt Ltd; Amarnath Ramachandran, Managing Director, ARX Mining And Construction Equipment Pvt Ltd, Pawan Kumar, Executive Director – Marketing, BEML Limited; Reguraj, Past Chairman, CII Karnataka and Managing Director, NTTF among others.