09.06.2010

Mangalore One: English report/more photos

BJP state executive meet

GIM 2010

Dr VSA with Toyota Concept car

myBangalore

GIM 2010: Karnataka wins mega steel, power investments

Bangalore, June 3

Stealing the show from the IT majors, companies in steel and power sectors were the big investors at the Global Investors Meet - Karnataka.With IT seeing very little investments on Day 1, Thursday belonged to the traditional manufacturing companies.

The Karnataka Government's intention to ensure equitable development across the State was visible, with most projects being located in the areas that need development.

"The State is developing five industrial corridors to take the benefits of industrialisation to the backward regions," said the Karnataka Chief Minister, Mr B. S. Yeddyurappa, at the inauguration of the two-day event.

Around 400 investors will sign MoUs (memoranda of understanding) at the two-day meet for implementation of various projects, totalling an investment of over Rs 3.5 lakh crore and generating employment for 6.5 lakh people.

The biggest investor in steel was not ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel company, but a local company, Brahmani Industries Karnataka Ltd. Bellary benefits. While ArcelorMittal plans to invest Rs 30,000 crore in Karnataka, Brahmani Industries proposes to pump in Rs 36,000 crore to set up a 6-million-tonne-a-year integrated steel plant with a captive power plant. The projects of both companies will be located in and around Bellary district.

The inaugural event saw several memoranda of understanding being signed across various sectors.Mr Lakshmi Mittal, Chairman and CEO, ArcelorMittal, was the first to ink an MoU with the Karnataka Government to set up a 6 mtpa steel plant and 750-MW power generation facility, employing around 10,000 people. (Brahmani's project promises to give employment to 25,000 people.) Mr Mittal said if the progress in Karnataka is ahead of others, the company's steel project in the State will get priority over projects in other States.

JSW Steel plans to invest Rs 15,131 crore on capacity expansion and a captive power plant in Bellary, while Jindal Saw Pipes plans to set up a steel plant, again in Bellary, at Rs 130.88 crore. Bellary will get another steel plant, with Bhushan Steel setting up a 6 mtpa integrated facility at an investment of Rs 27,928 crore.Hazira Steel too signed an MoU firming up an investment of Rs 17,760 crore.Kalyani Steels and Bharat Forge (Rs 1,584 crore) too have proposed investments in power plants.

Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd plans to invest Rs 8,656 crore in a coal-based thermal plant in Gulbarga. GAIL will lay a gas pipeline at an investment of Rs 4,544 crore.

IT bigwigs join the act: The IT industry saw home-grown majors Wipro and Infosys Technologies marking their commitment toBangalore, the country's IT capital. Both companies plan to set up software development centres at Sarjapur (in the city). While Infosys will invest Rs 2,250 crore on its facility that will employ 18,000 people, Wipro will pump in Rs 537 crore on its new centre.

Other sectors: Birla Cement plans to invest Rs 3,000 crore on capacity expansion, while Reliance intends to spend Rs 2,500 crore on a cement plant. The other investors include Shahi Exports (Rs 533 crore), Bombay Rayon and Scotts Garments (Rs 682 crore) for readymade garment exports, BEML (aircraft manufacture, Rs 316 crore), Zuari Fertilisers (urea plant, Rs 4,565 crore) and Narayana Hrudayalaya (Rs 990 crore on a 5,000 bed super speciality hospital near BIAL).

Foreign investment: The major foreign investors include Shell (R&D centre, Rs 1,376 crore), Lafarge (cement plant, Rs 1,500 crore) and Nestle (Rs 349 crore). (TheHinduBusinessLine)

State shows off 6 pack at GIM

Govt to upgrade Kateel, Kollur temples

By Mangalorean

BANGALORE, June 3, 2010: Minister for Home Dr V S Acharya on Wednesday said the Government has decided to upgrade facilities available at the Kollur Mookambika temple in Udupi district and Sri Durga Parameshwari temple at Kateel near Mangalore.

Addressing the media, Dr Acharya said the government would release Rs. 14 crore to the Mookambika temple to provide more facilities such as drinking water, accommodation, roads, bus-stands, health centre, and drainage and a sum of Rs 3.7 crore would be released to provide basic facilities at the temple at Kateel, near Bajpe, in Dakshina Kannada district.

Dr. Acharya, who also holds the Muzrai portfolio, said a large number of devotees visit both temples round the year. But there are no quality guest house and other facilities at both temples.

Though the local population is less than 10,000 at both temple areas, the floating population was more than 50,000 per day.

Dr Acharya said that there is no life threat to Sri Sri Ravishankar, Art of Living founder, and the scale of security has been stepped up at the Ashrama premises here to prevent any untoward incidents.

The police have continued their investigation into an unidentified gunman’s attempt on the life of Sri Sri Ravishankar and there was no breakthrough in the probe so far. Dr Acharya said the police have continued the investigation into the incident and he would not comment on the issue till he gets the probe report.

Referring to the naxal issue in the Western Ghat and coastal region of the state, he said the Government has stepped up security in the naxal-infested region of Dakshina Kannada, Shimoga, Chikmagalur and Udupi districts following the derailment of a train by naxals in West Bengal.

''We are keeping a strict vigil. Anti Naxal Force has done a good job in the three districts. "We have asked our men to be on high alert mode in the wake of heightened naxal activities in States of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and other States,'' Dr Acharya said.

Meanwhile, the police have arrested Nandakumar and Manohar, suspected naxalites, in the last couple of days, he said.

Hogenakkal issue

He said secretaries of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu will be meeting in a few days to discuss a proposal to set up a 345 MW hydro-electricity project at Shivanasamundra by Karnataka and a drinking water project taken up at Hogenakkal by Tamil Nadu.

The official level talks would pave the way for the ministerial level talks on resolving the boundary dispute and the Hogennakal issue. The State government would like to discuss with the Tamil Nadu government the proposal to set up the hydroelectricity project Shivanasamudram by incurring all the cost. The water utilised for power generation would be released to Tamil Nadu.

The Karunanidhi government has been opposing the proposed Shivanasamudram run-of-the river hydel plant project. The government would like to hold talks with the Tamil Nadu government on both the drinking water scheme and the hydel power project utilising Cauvery waters. The boundary disputes between two states would remain till the line of control was clearly demarcated, Dr Acharya said.

31.05.2010

Progress report