Invest Karnataka: Volvo to invest Rs 1,400 crore at Hoskote near Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Feb 13 (PTI): Sweden-based bus and truck manufacturer Volvo has decided to expand its manufacturing plant in Hoskote near Bengaluru city and has announced an investment of Rs 1,400 crore.
The company expects that this investment would create over 2,000 direct jobs.
An agreement to this effect was signed on Thursday in the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at his official residence ‘Kaveri’.
The process was completed in the presence of Minister for Large and Medium Industries M B Patil. Principal Secretary of Industries Department Selvakumar and Managing Director of Volvo India Kamal Bali signed the agreement during the Invest Karnataka-2025 summit.
Siddaramaiah said on the occasion that Volvo came to the state 25 years ago, invested and started a change. Now Volvo is another name for high-quality buses in the country.
The chief minister assured Volvo of providing necessary facilities and assistance. In return, the company should employ more Kannadigas. This can achieve both security and economic growth for the locals, he said.
Volvo CEO Martin Lundstedt said the company has manufacturing units in Peenya, Hoskote and Pithampur near Dharwad in Karnataka.
"Now we are manufacturing 3,000 buses and trucks here per year. With the expansion of the Hoskote plant, we can manufacture 20,000 buses and trucks per year. This capacity increase will also create jobs and further strengthen the position of India and Karnataka in the global supply chain. In addition, it will be possible to meet the local market needs smoothly," the Volvo CEO said.
He said Bengaluru is Volvo's fourth largest international location. The Global Capacity Centre here employs over 3,500 people and handles Research and Development, procurement, logistics and financial services.
He told the chief minister that the company has a joint venture in Madhya Pradesh. The company's turnover has now crossed USD 50 billion per annum, he added.
"The new facility is expected to create over 2,000 direct jobs, significantly boost exports, and enhance India’s position in the global supply chain. Production capacity at the Hosakote facility is set to soar, from 3,000 to a massive 20,000 trucks and buses annually, catering to both Indian and international markets," a statement issued by the company said.
Karnataka-Volvo Collaboration Takes Another Big Leap
— M B Patil (@MBPatil) February 13, 2025
Volvo Group to Set Up 4th International Manufacturing Hub in Hosakote, Karnataka
Over ₹1,400 Cr investment | 2,000+ direct jobs@VolvoGroup has signed an MoU with the Karnataka government to establish its 4th International… pic.twitter.com/xPrqd1ZfnE
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Suspected drones observed along IB in Jammu's Samba, being engaged: Army
Jammu, May 12 (PTI): Security forces are engaging suspected drones observed along the International Border in Samba district of Jammu region on Monday, an Army said.
This fresh incident of drone activity along the borderline comes barely hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first address to the nation following Operation Sindoor and the meeting of the DGMOs of India and Pakistan.
The Army, however, said there is no need to be alarmed.
“A small number of suspected drones have been observed near Samba in J&K. They are being engaged,” it said.
In the backdrop of the situation, several areas witnessed blackouts in Samba, Kathua, Rajouri, and Jammu.
Lights were switched off at the cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi and along its track as a precautionary measure, sources said.
On Monday, talks between the DGMOs were held during which issues related to the continuing commitment that both sides must not fire a single shot or initiate any aggressive or inimical action against each other were discussed, the Indian Army said.
It was also agreed that both sides would consider immediate measures to ensure troop reduction along the borders and in forward areas, it added.
The situation remained largely peaceful across Jammu and Kashmir, with no incidents of ceasefire violation reported along the Indo-Pak border Sunday overnight — marking the first calm night after 18 days of hostilities following the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people — mostly tourists — dead.
India and Pakistan on Saturday reached an understanding to cease all firing and military actions on land, air, and sea with immediate effect, following four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes that brought the two countries to the brink of full-scale war.
Eighteen days of intense hostilities following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, which brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war, ended with a ceasefire that restored calm along the Line of Control, the International Border, and the hinterland in Jammu and Kashmir. The Army thwarted Pakistan’s Hamas-style kamikaze drone attacks during the escalation.
Since the night of April 24, hours after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistani troops repeatedly targeted Indian positions along the LoC — beginning in the Kashmir Valley and quickly expanding to the Jammu region.
The latest hostilities began in the northern districts of Kupwara and Baramulla in the Kashmir Valley, before spreading southwards to Rajouri, Poonch, Akhnoor, and the Pargwal sector along the International Border in Jammu district. The firing affected five border districts — Baramulla, Kupwara, Poonch, Rajouri, and Jammu.
The recent round of cross-border firing further undermined the ceasefire agreement reached in February 2021, which has largely been seen as ineffective due to Pakistan’s frequent violations along the 740-km-long LoC.
The April 22 terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people — mostly tourists — in Pahalgam’s Baisaran valley, triggered a strong response from the central government.
The India-Pakistan border stretches over 3,300 kilometers, divided into three segments: the International Border (IB), spanning about 2,400 km from Gujarat to Akhnoor in Jammu; the 740-km-long Line of Control (LoC) that divides Jammu and Kashmir; and the 110-km-long Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL), which separates the Siachen Glacier region.
WATCH: OP Sindoor continues. Minutes after PM Speech.
— Rahul Shivshankar (@RShivshankar) May 12, 2025
A small numbers of suspected drones being observed near Samba in J&K. Being engaged . pic.twitter.com/jmGmRkmQ26
