Karnataka held bilateral engagements with 46 companies at WEF, no MoU signed: Minister Patil
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister M B Patil on Saturday said that he had bilateral engagements with 46 global and Indian companies, investors and country leaders at WEF in Davos.
He said there were discussions on investment intents, but no MoU was signed.
"We held 46 bilateral engagements with global and Indian companies, investors, academic institutions and country leaderships at World Economic Forum, Davos," Patil said at a press conference here.
These included engagements with 26 international companies and over 15 Indian companies across aerospace and defence, advanced manufacturing, food processing, space tech, life sciences, data centres, digital infrastructure and clean energy, he said.
Patil said the discussions have translated into a robust investment pipeline.
"From Davos, Karnataka has advanced a strong, credible pipeline of investments, expansions and partnerships across aviation and logistics, beverages and food processing, clean energy manufacturing, advanced manufacturing, space tech, data centres and GCC and R&D," he said.
According to the minister, the visit also featured government-to-government engagements.
"We had focused G2G discussions with Liechtenstein and Singapore to strengthen institutional collaboration and jointly attract investments into Karnataka," he said.
Patil said the delegation also interacted with global thought leaders.
"We engaged with people like Gita Gopinath of the IMF and entrepreneur Nikhil Kamath to exchange perspectives on global macroeconomic trends, entrepreneurship and India’s evolving role in the global economy," he said.
Referring to meetings with WEF leadership, Patil said, "We met John Dutton, Head of UpLink, and Sean Doherty, Head of International Trade and Investment at WEF, to deepen Karnataka’s strategic engagement with WEF platforms, explore collaboration across innovation, trade and sustainability, and strengthen Karnataka’s positioning within global initiatives."
According to the minister, discussions at Davos focused on practical enablers for investment.
"There was clear interest in support mechanisms for marquee investments in Tier-2 and Tier-3 locations, expansion of GCCs including in Tier-2 cities, grid stability and power reliability for data centres, and water security and smart water management," he said.
Patil said Karnataka showcased its execution readiness.
"Across all interactions, we positioned Karnataka as India’s leading platform for AI talent, GCCs and clean manufacturing, backed by policy facilitation and strong ecosystem partnerships," he said.
The minister added that the state was also projected as a preferred destination for next-generation industries such as AI, data centres, semiconductors, space tech and Industry 4.0.
He said global companies engaged during the visit included Coca-Cola, Lenovo, Welspun Group, Amazon Web Services, Nokia, PayPal, Schneider Electric, Cloudflare, Imperial College London, Mistral AI, Octopus Energy, Axon Cables, Xylem, Voyager Technologies and Vast Space, with several discussions moving into advanced-stage follow-ups and grounding discussions in Karnataka.
When asked about the MoUs signed during the WEF, he said, "We consciously decided not to sign MoU at Davos because we wanted the investors to come to Karnataka and see for themselves the resources, talent pool and policies for investors," Patil said.
Another reason for not signing MoUs there was that it was not proper to sign deals with Indian companies abroad as it looks odd, he added.
The minister said Karnataka has emerged from the WEF meeting at Davos with a strong and credible pipeline of global investments, partnerships and expansion proposals across priority sectors, underlining the government’s focus on swift execution rather than mere announcements.
Highlighting progress beyond the Global Investors Meet (GIM), Patil said Karnataka has secured around Rs 1.1 lakh crore of fresh investments in the last 11 months.
"This includes about Rs 66,293 crore from manufacturing and industrial sectors, Rs 20,913 crore from renewables, Rs 12,500 crore from Global Capacity Centres and Rs 6,350 crore from data centres," he said.
He said the state also has a strong near-term pipeline of over Rs 1.5 lakh crore.
"This is led by ESDM and semiconductors, auto and EV manufacturing, and aerospace and defence manufacturing," Patil said.
On conversion of investment intent into action, the minister said, "At the Global Investors Meet 2025, we closed with Rs 10.27 lakh crore in commitments and an estimated over six lakh jobs. Our focus now is speed of execution, not just announcements."
"In under a year, nearly 50 per cent of committed investments have already moved into on-ground investment filings with Karnataka Udyog Mitra, with manufacturing leading at around 60 per cent conversion," he added.
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Not afraid of BJP threats or insults, says B.K. Hariprasad
Bengaluru: Senior Congress leader and Legislative Council member B.K. Hariprasad on Saturday said he was not someone who would be scared by threats or insults from the BJP and would never bow down to such pressure.
Hariprasad said the BJP’s “Indra-Chandra-Satyaharishchandra” episodes were being exposed in instalments, not just in Karnataka but across the country. “I am not a coward who fears the BJP’s threats and insults and bends before them. I am not from a Gandhian lineage that surrenders out of fear, nor am I like those who seek mercy by writing apologies,” he said.
Hariprasad remarked that listening to lessons on dignity and culture from the BJP was like “listening to the Bhagavad Gita from the mouth of a ghost”. He alleged that the BJP, which he said had completely destroyed the dignity and decorum of democratic institutions, had no moral authority to preach about values, respect or culture.
He criticised the BJP for following a tradition of promoting leaders who speak loudly in think tanks and public forums, while forgetting the common people who are struggling on the streets. He said people were shocked by the kind of language used against women and elected representatives, whether inside the House or on public platforms.
Hariprasad further alleged that the RSS and BJP, which once spoke of discipline and values, had now abandoned those ideals. He said slogans of courtesy had been replaced by glorification of rowdyism. He accused the BJP of being a party where even the Union Home Minister faces serious cases and where cadres allegedly involved in hooliganism and criminal activities are celebrated.
He said the BJP appeared to have created a separate platform for those accused of serious crimes, including violence, rape and murder. “When such people are elevated and glorified, it becomes impossible to expect dignity or moral conduct from the party,” he said.
Questioning the BJP’s internal standards, Hariprasad asked what kind of culture allows a person who allegedly referred to a government minister using derogatory language to be made part of the party’s think tank. He questioned whether leaders who made offensive remarks about women were selected through the “front door or the back door”.
He also referred to remarks allegedly made against the Chief Secretary and questioned the BJP’s decision to elevate individuals who, according to him, made shameless statements in public meetings. Hariprasad said the party’s think tank itself appeared to be overwhelmed by the language and mindset of such leaders.
Hariprasad further questioned whether the BJP had any sense of shame, honour or dignity, alleging that the party continued to support leaders accused of serious misconduct, including acts against women. He said retaining such leaders without accountability reflected the BJP’s declining moral standards.
