KannadigaruUK hosts an event at The Bhavan to honour Mr M.B. Patil, Minister for Large & Medium Industries & Infrastructure Development
Mr M.B. Patil, Minister for Large & Medium Industries & Infrastructure Development, Government of Karnataka, engaged with the Kannada diaspora in the UK at a special event hosted by KannadigaruUK at The Bhavan.
Accompanying him were Dr. S. Selvakumar, IAS, Principal Secretary of the Commerce & Industries Department, and Smt. Gunjan Krishna, IAS, Commissioner of the Commerce & Industries Department, as part of the delegation.
Mr. Ganapati Bhat, Chairman of KannadigaruUK, opened the event by welcoming the esteemed delegates and diaspora representatives. He highlighted the organisation’s initiatives and the vibrant role of the Kannada community in the UK. Dr. Matturu Nandakumar, Executive Director of The Bhavan, extended a warm welcome to everyone.
In his address, Mr M.B. Patil emphasised the state’s commitment to fostering small and medium-scale industries, startups, and initiatives beyond Bengaluru. He underscored the importance of Udyog Mitra, a program where nodal officers support businesses with clearances and other essential information. Minister Patil also outlined Karnataka’s investor-friendly policies, including the Industrial Policy and Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) Policy. He discussed the government’s cluster development approach, sector-specific focus, and the active promotion of Karnataka through global and domestic roadshows.
Answering queries from the diaspora, the minister highlighted the government’s focus on supporting women entrepreneurs with additional incentives, turnover-linked benefits, and capital subsidies designed to boost small and medium enterprises. He invited the diaspora to participate in the upcoming Invest Karnataka 2025, scheduled from February 11 to 14, 2025, a global investors’ meet aimed at attracting foreign investments.
The event witnessed the attendance of prominent diaspora members, including Mr. Ravi Venkatesh (Councillor, Swindon), Mr. Praveen Karadiguddi (CEO, Scrumconnect), Mr. Ashwin Kumaraswamy (Venture Capitalist, DeepTech), Mr. L. George (Luminary Networks Ltd), and Mr. Vivek Thontadarya (Co-Founder & Director, Tech VAT Ltd), among others.
Minister Patil expressed his appreciation for the contribution of the NRI community in promoting Karnataka and fostering connections between the state and global investors. The event anchored by Ms Veena Vasantha of KannadigaruUK and concluded with a networking session, fostering collaboration between the Karnataka delegation and the UK-based Kannada diaspora.
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