K'taka industries Min. M.B. Patil announces plans to establish zone-wise industrial parks
Bengaluru: In a significant move to boost Karnataka’s industrial growth, the state government is planning to develop zone-wise industrial parks across different regions. Large and Medium Industries Minister M.B. Patil announced this during a press conference on Saturday.
Briefing the media ahead of the ‘Invest Karnataka – Global Investors' Summit,’ he said that a modern pharma park would be set up in Srinivaspura, Kolar district, a solar cell park in Vijayapura, and an agro park focused on agricultural products.
Patil outlined additional projects, including a drone park in Chitradurga, a deep-tech park in Jangamakote named after Sir M. Visvesvaraya, and a mega logistics park in Hanumanthapura, near Dabaspet. Furthermore, EV clusters will be developed in Chikkaballapura and Dharwad.
He also said that the upcoming Invest Karnataka conference is expected to attract investments of over ₹10 lakh crore. A 200-acre startup park near Hubballi airport will support over 400 startups, while a 1,200-acre solar cell and agro-tech park will be developed in Tidagundi, Vijayapura. The event will focus on future manufacturing, transportation, and eco-friendly energy sectors, with over 60 startups showcasing advanced technologies, including carbon nanotubes, autonomous systems, UAVs, and robotics.
“With 19 countries participating, 10 nations will specifically discuss key issues such as sustainable economic growth, Karnataka’s role in the global supply chain, renewable energy, and healthcare,” he added.
He further announced that, for the first time, 14 companies making major contributions to Karnataka’s economy and industrial growth will be recognized at the Global Investors Conference. The awards will honor firms from sectors such as aerospace, defense, auto/EV, and life sciences. Special recognition will be given to companies that have made large-scale investments and prioritized global R&D.
Additionally, he said that 35 small and medium industries, top-performing women entrepreneurs at the district level, and enterprises excelling in their sectors will be honored on February 13. Under the ‘Venturise’ initiative, nine cash prizes worth a total of $300,000 will be awarded, with the top three winners receiving $50,000, $30,000, and $20,000, respectively.
He also revealed that the Global Investors’ Summit will be inaugurated by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on February 11 at 4 PM at Bangalore Palace. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will preside over the event in the presence of Governor Thawarchand Gehlot. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will also participate.
“During the event, a single-window portal will be launched to speed up approvals for industrial projects under the 2025-30 industrial policy. The summit will be attended by Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi, H.D. Kumaraswamy, V. Somanna, Shobha Karandlaje, Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sitharaman, and Ashwini Vaishnaw. Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, will be present at the closing ceremony,” he said.
The Minister also said that the summit will witness agreements with domestic and international universities under the ambitious Knowledge, Wellbeing, and Innovation City (KWIN) project.
Minister Patil stated that he would be engaging with Montek Singh Ahluwalia on economic growth, Volvo Group CEO Martin Lundstedt, and startup leaders like Sandeep Deshmukh and Chanakya Hriday on logistics innovations. Discussions with Zerodha founder Nikhil Kamath and entrepreneurs Parth Jindal and Suzanna Muthoot are also scheduled.
He also revealed that this year’s summit features twice as many speakers as the previous edition. Notable industry leaders include Google X founder Sebastian Thrun, Lam Research executive Patrick Lord, General Atomics CEO Vivek Lal, and TVS Motors MD Sudarshan Venu. Additionally, the event will host top executives such as Boeing’s Rob Boyd, Nothing Company’s Akis Evangelides, and former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou.
The press conference was also attended by Industries Department Principal Secretary Selvakumar, Commissioner Gunjan Krishna, and KIADB CEO Dr. Mahesh.
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Traffic fraud: Fake 'no-entry' sticker racket busted in Delhi, mastermind among 3 held
New Delhi (PTI): Police here have busted a crime syndicate involved in traffic fraud and extortion, arresting three people including the alleged mastermind who sold fake stickers to help commercial vehicles bypass no-entry restrictions, an official said on Saturday.
The police said they dismantled a third organised syndicate linked to traffic-related frauds, with the arrest of Rinku Rana alias Bhushan, his associate Sonu Sharma and Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, who was also connected to another extortion syndicate.
According to the police, Rinku Rana was running a well-organised network that facilitated the movement of commercial goods vehicles during restricted hours by selling fake 'marka' or stickers for Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per vehicle every month. The stickers were falsely projected as authorisation to evade traffic challans.
During raids, the police recovered Rs 31 lakh in cash, property documents worth several crores of rupees, over 500 fake stickers and six mobile phones allegedly used to operate the syndicate.
The crackdown followed a complaint filed by a traffic police officer in April this year after a commercial vehicle tried to evade checking by producing a fake sticker claiming exemption from enforcement action.
Investigation revealed that social media groups were being used to coordinate the illegal movement of vehicles and alert drivers about traffic police checkpoints, police said.
"A parallel system was being run to cheat drivers and vehicle owners while undermining traffic enforcement. On the basis of evidence, provisions related to organised crime under the BNS were invoked," a senior police officer said.
Sonu Sharma, the police said, managed social media groups through which stickers were sold and real-time alerts were circulated regarding traffic police movement. He also acted as a link between Rana and drivers operating in the field.
In a related development, Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, an associate of Rajkumar alias Raju Meena, who was earlier arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), was also apprehended.
Mukesh allegedly helped extort money from transporters and was involved in blackmailing traffic police personnel by recording enforcement actions, the police said.
Investigators alleged the syndicate led by Rajkumar deployed drivers to deliberately violate traffic rules and secretly record police officials during challans, later using manipulated videos to extort money under threat of false allegations.
The police said that in total, eight accused belonging to three different organised crime syndicates linked to traffic frauds and extortion have been arrested so far.
Further investigation is underway to trace the remaining members, conduct financial probes, and analyse digital evidence recovered during the raids, officials added.
