K'taka govt woos investors from north India

New Delhi, Oct 24 (PTI) To boost manufacturing sector and create more jobs, Karnataka industry minister R V Deshpande today met key companies like Maruti Suzuki and Omax Autos from north India and invited them to invest and expand their business operation in the state.

A delegation-led by Deshpande met at least 20 companies from the NCR region and invited them to participate in the 'Vendors development and investors' summit' to be held on November 23-24 in Bengaluru.

The minister met representatives of companies such as Japan International Co-operation Agency, Virgo Group, Usha International Ltd, Boeing India, Hero Future Energies, Maruti Suzuki, Super Tech Engineers and Lockheed Martin India.

He also met senior officials of PepsiCo India, Shinmaywa Industries India, Omax Autos, JBM Group, Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages South Asia, United Technologies Corporation, Cardio Fitness India, Engineers India, Whale India, Liberty Shoes, JCB India besides others.

Addressing a roadshow later in the evening, Deshpande said "The summit will provide a platform for companies to explore investment opportunities in Karnataka and firm up their new/expansion investment proposals".

The state government has organised total six roadshows to attract investment and the last one will take place in Hyderabad later this week, he said.

Deshpande further said the forthcoming event is crucial for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector as it will provide a platform for bridging the gap between the requirements of large units and production capabilities of MSMEs.

"This will benefit MSMEs in planning their production and product diversification," he added.

The investors' summit is one of the events that the state is focusing to boost investment in manufacturing sector and generate more jobs in the state.

The state is aiming to create 15 lakh jobs by 2019, out of which more than 14 lakh jobs have been created till March this year, the minister said.

Karnataka MSME, Commerce and Industry Secretary Rajender Kumar Kataria, Invest Karnataka Forum CEO Deepak Sood were among others present at the roadshow. PTI LUX BAL