CM lays foundation for Rs 5,000 cr Lifesciences Park; promises to make Karnataka 'BT Hub'
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Wednesday assured that the government would take necessary steps to ensure that the state emerges as the 'BT Hub,' as he laid the foundation stone for the Rs 5,000 crore Bengaluru Lifesciences Park.
He also said the government would extend support on a priority basis to the Biotechnology sector, calling it the "power" of the state's economy.
The government would accord importance to the sectors of Information Technology and Biotechnology, which play an important role in the economy, as well as employment generation, Yediyurappa was quoted as saying in a release.
"We have already implemented many reforms and an industry-friendly environment has been created. We shall give more importance to commerce and industry," he said.
Equipped with the best biotechnology infrastructure, the nine million square feet Bengaluru Lifesciences Park will come upon a sprawling 52.27 acres at a cost of Rs 5,000 crore.
The project is being set up under a Public-Private Partnership with the government of Karnataka and private entity Labzone Corp.
The first phase will be completed by December 2022.
"The Bengaluru Life Sciences Park will help in expanding the perimeter of the state's Biotechnology sector. I am confident that this park will give a unique gift to Bengaluru, which is already known as the BT Capital of India.
The state government has released a grant of Rs 150 crore towards this project," Yediyurappa said.
The park will house more than 150 companies and more than 100 start-ups will be established.
This would generate employment for more than 50,000 (direct and indirect) people, the Chief Minister said, adding that this project would make a significant contribution to the state's economy.
At present, there are 380 companies and more than 200 start-ups involved in the Biotechnology sector in the state.
In Asia, Karnataka has a nine percent market share in the biotechnology sector, while in India, it commands 35 percent.
"This percentage should increase significantly in the coming days and the government is ready to extend the required facilities in achieving the same," Yediyurappa said.
Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan, who is also the minister for IT/BT & Science and Technology department, said that the time has come for setting up of the Bengaluru Lifesciences Park, which was envisioned 20 years ago.
"The state's BT sector, which has already emerged successful, will be further strengthened through this park.
Research and Development will take place under one roof.
This is becoming a reality by the will of this government.
Once the project gets completed, Bengalurus prestige will go up on the world map," he said.
The Deputy CM noted that the government has worked towards creating an investor-friendly atmosphere in the state by bringing in amendments to the Land reforms Act, APMC Act, and relaxing several Rules, Legal hurdles that came in the way of research and innovation has been fixed and government has set up the Karnataka Innovations Authority and through 'Invest Karnataka', provided an open opportunity for investors.
The new life sciences park will be built near the electronic city area of Bengaluru and will be part of the existing space that already houses Biotech innovation centers and other facilities and will synergize both IT and biotechnology sectors, officials have said.
The park will have a dedicated incubation space with shared instrumentation lab facilities and customizable fully fitted lab and office suites, they said
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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.
