Praxair India to Invest Rs 210 crore in Karnataka: Minister M B Patil
Bengaluru (PTI): Praxair India, a key player in industrial gases and related manufacturing, will invest Rs 210 crore over the next three years to establish liquid oxygen and nitrogen production units in Karnataka, state Industries Minister M B Patil said on Thursday.
He said the company signed an MoU with the state government on Wednesday.
The minister, who is on an official visit to the UK with a government delegation, said that Praxair India will commence its investment in the current financial year itself.
The state government will extend priority support, including land allocation, single-window clearances and infrastructure facilitation, his office said in a statement quoting him.
Patil also held discussions with Helix Geospace, known for its helical-antenna technology used in aerospace, defence and drone applications, and with Oxford Space Systems (OSS), a reputed manufacturer of satellite antennas.
He said OSS has been asked to submit a detailed note to the state government outlining its specific requirements and the support it seeks.
The minister met Vikram Doraiswami, India's High Commissioner to the UK, to discuss further industrial collaboration between Karnataka and the United Kingdom.
They also explored opportunities to establish a 'UK Tech Park' in the proposed KWIN City near Bengaluru. If established, it would significantly strengthen the ecosystem for research and development, innovation and advanced manufacturing, he said.
Patil added that the High Commissioner has assured support in engaging with UK-based companies and conveying their feedback to the state government.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
