Karnataka IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge meets industry leaders in US
discusses innovation and collaboration opportunities
California, US: Karnataka Information Technology and Biotechnology (IT/BT) and rural development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge along with Minister for Large & Medium Industries M B Patil held a series of meetings with industry leaders and Indian diaspora in the US recently. They interacted with executives from Applied Materials, Juniper Networks and Western Digital and discussed topics including semiconductor ecosystem, hardware manufacturing, R&D investment, ease of doing business and others.
Sharing his experience, Priyank Kharge said, “Karnataka as an IT/BT hub offers immense growth opportunities for companies. I am happy that we had fruitful interactions with industry leaders in the US and received positive feedback. Our government continues to be committed to providing the best infrastructure, ensuring ease of doing business through conducive policies.”
Meeting with Applied Materials, a software services company
Key highlights: R&D lab, CoE for innovation and skilling
Ministers Priyank Kharge and M B Patil interacted with Applied Materials executives and also visited the Maydan Technology Center, a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to advanced chip making.
Topics of discussion included:
- Government support for pre-construction approvals of the Applied Materials R&D lab in Whitefield, Bengaluru.
- Explored government restrictions on chemicals and gases, critical for the semiconductor ecosystem
- Commitment to accelerate Karnataka's ecosystem through collaboration on skilling and establishing a Center of Excellence for innovation in collaboration with the Government.
Applied Materials, a global leader in materials engineering solutions for the semiconductor, flat panel display and solar photovoltaic (PV) industries, has recently announced its intention to build a collaborative engineering center in Bengaluru with an investment of $400 mn spanning over 4 years.
Meeting with Juniper
Key highlights: R&D, CoE, renewable energy, hardware manufacturing, skill development
Ministers interacted with Juniper executives about the following topics:
Enhancement of R&D capabilities.
Exploration of hardware manufacturing in India, with discussions on the supplier ecosystem, policies, and incentives in Karnataka.
- Insights into renewable energy plans for business operations.
- Government partnership on establishing a Center of Excellence for design and wireless products by March 2024.
- CSR initiatives for skill development in rural areas.
- Collaboration on skilling and training in Data Science, AI, IoT, and cybersecurity.
Juniper Networks, an American MNC specializing in the development and marketing of networking products, has the largest data center in Karnataka, employing 4000 people and is the largest base for developers.
Meeting with Western Digital
Key highlights: Manufacturing in India, PCB and ICB ecosystem, CoE in AR/VR
Ministers interacted with the executives from Western Digital on the below topics:
- Exploration of import tariffs and the Indian regulatory landscape to ensure the financial viability of manufacturing in India.
- Discussion on customs-related issues.
- Building connections with the PCB and ICB ecosystem, seeking support in establishing partnerships.
- Collaboration proposal for a Center of Excellence (CoE) in AR/VR (augmented reality and virtual reality) and gaming accelerators.
- Exploration of ways to improve ease of doing business and expedite the approval process.
- Western Digital, a computer drive manufacturer and data storage company, has a large R&D presence in Bengaluru and the team focuses on firmware development enterprise hard Disk Drive development.
Meeting with Indiaspora
Key highlight: Call for investments in Karnataka
At a dinner meeting with 30+ members of Indiaspora, a network of global Indian origin leaders from diverse backgrounds and professions, the Ministers spoke about the vision of Karnataka along with emerging opportunities. They called upon the entrepreneurs, business owners, and innovators to invest in the State of Karnataka, which is an IT and BT hub.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
