The Karnataka government is planning an Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage Policy with the aim of making Bengaluru the electric vehicle capital of the country.

RV Deshpande, Minister for Large, Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development, said, “We want to showcase Karnataka as an environment-friendly state and this policy will be a step in that direction.”

“By doing this, we will be the first state in the country to have such a policy. We want to attract investments in this sunrise sector,” he added.

The state government will establish a Coastal Cashew Technology Centre in Kumta (Uttara Kannada) with a project cost of ₹10 crore. This project is being taken up under the Centre’s TIES (Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme) on cost-sharing basis.

“The Commerce Ministry has given approval for the project and a sum of ₹2 crore has been released by the state government and ₹1 crore by the Centre,” Deshpande said.

Similarly, under TIES scheme, the government is establishing a marine export facility centre at Tadadi (Uttara Kannada) with a cost of ₹10 crore.

In association with the Centre, the Karnataka government is setting up a Machine Tool Park at a cost of ₹425 crore on 540 acres at Vasantha Narasapura industrial area in Tumkuru. “The project is a 50:50 venture by the centre and state. Both will invest ₹125 crore to the project. Tenders have been floated,” said Deshpande.

Related to the machine tool sector, government is planning to set up precision meteorology lab in association with CMTI on 50 per cent cost sharing basis with Central government with a project cost of ₹9.6 crore.