Shivakumar urges industry leaders to stop ''hurting'' Bengaluru amid criticism over roads, traffic
Bengaluru (PTI): Faced with mounting criticism from industry leaders over Bengaluru’s infrastructure woes, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday urged them to stop "hurting" the city and the state that have contributed to their growth.
Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, appealed to industry leaders not to forget their "roots"— Bengaluru, Karnataka, and its people—and asked them to be patient, stressing that "there is a limitation for everything."
The state government has faced sustained criticism over the city’s poor roads and traffic congestion.
Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw recently reignited the debate by sharing on 'X' a visiting overseas business executive’s scathing remarks on Bengaluru’s infrastructure.
Quoting the visitor, Shaw wrote: "Why are the roads so bad and why is there so much garbage around? Doesn’t the Govt want to support investment? I have just come from China and can’t understand why India can’t get its act together, especially when the winds are favourable?"
She tagged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar, and IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge in her post.
Responding to questions on such remarks, Shivakumar said, "Making such posts is (like) killing themselves. They are hurting their own country and the state that helped them. Where were they 25 years ago? It is this Bengaluru that has contributed everything to them. If they want to hurt themselves, it’s left to them."
Speaking to reporters, he asserted that the government was doing its best to address the city’s infrastructure challenges.
Highlighting new initiatives, Shivakumar said that under the Greater Bengaluru Authority, the East Corporation alone would retain Rs 1,673 crore of its own revenues to directly improve infrastructure in 50 wards, particularly benefitting IT corridors.
He also said the government was formulating a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy. "Let them (industries) declare what they are giving, who is giving, and where that money is going. Let them come out with details on what they are doing," he said.
"I don’t want to question them, but they should have patience. If they want to tweet, blackmail, or threaten us, it’s left to them," he added, describing the Karnataka government as "progressive and positive."
Referring to PM Narendra Modi’s remarks calling Bengaluru a "global city", Shivakumar said, "They are working against the prime minister; they are working against the state."
In what appeared to be a veiled response to Shaw’s comparison with China, the Deputy CM said, "This is not China; there is a democratic setup here. China has communist rule — they can break any road and do whatever they want. In Karnataka and India, you cannot do that. Will they (industry leaders) allow their own properties to be demolished for road widening? No one will allow it."
"There is a limitation for everything. Let them be patient. They should remember how they have grown and where they came from. If you forget the root, you will not get the fruit. The root is Bengaluru, Karnataka, and its people," he said.
Declining to comment on Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh’s reported remarks taking a dig at Bengaluru’s infrastructure, Shivakumar said there was "no match" for Karnataka and its capital in terms of infrastructure, human resources, innovation, and startups.
"Twenty-five lakh engineers are working here, and two lakh foreigners are working here. We contribute 39–40 per cent of revenue to the central government," he said, adding that industry leaders across the world were in touch with the state government.
"Many companies that were earlier functioning from rented spaces now want to set up their own campuses in the city. That is the strength of Bengaluru. There is no match for Bengaluru in the entire country," he added.
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Sitharaman highlights India's expanding trade architecture in meeting with Norwegian CEOs
New Delhi/Oslo (PTI): Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday highlighted India's expanding trade architecture and said the country provides a durable framework for trade, industrial collaboration and long-term investments.
In a roundtable meeting with prominent Norwegian CEOs and investors in Oslo, Sitharaman said her official visit to Norway has witnessed engaging and positive discussions on India as an investment destination and the fastest-growing major economy in the world.
"In the light of India's expanding trade architecture, including agreements with European Free Trade Association (EFTA), the EU, the UK and the US, the Union Finance Minister highlighted the conditions in India that provide a durable framework for trade, industrial collaboration and long-term investments,” the Union Finance Ministry said in a X post.
She said that Union Budget 2026-27 also underpins the reform focus of the Government of India on easing regulatory and compliance burden for citizens and companies.
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The participants appreciated the predictable policy and macroeconomic environment in India and acknowledged the reform efforts and momentum by the government, the Ministry said.
The CEO of National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) made a presentation highlighting India's growth and reform story and the potential and scope of investment opportunities between the two countries across key sectors.
The roundtable covered deliberations around the existing and potential opportunities for business and investment cooperation across key sectors, including renewables, carbon capture, rare earths, and financial services.
Separately, Sitharaman met Norway Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, who said that the country is looking forward to the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled for later in the year and conveyed his confidence that it would further expand India-Norway cooperation.
Store appreciated India's reform momentum and said that Norway and India can collaborate in the sectors of fisheries, health tech, maritime and space.
The two leaders discussed EFTA and TEPA operationalisation and outlined key areas of collaboration between the two countries, including in areas related to high-tech manufacturing, carbon capture storage, start-ups, semiconductors, renewable energy, and waste management, among others.
India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) came into effect on October 1, 2025, while India and the U.K., in July 2025, signed the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).
In January this year, India and the EU concluded negotiations for a historic free trade agreement (FTA). Earlier this month, India and the US agreed to an interim trade deal.
Sitharaman also met Norway's Minister for Trade & Industry, Cecilie Mysreth and Even Tronstad Sagebakken, State Secretary, Fisheries and Ocean Policy, in Oslo.
The leaders discussed ways of forging deeper cooperation and exploring mutual opportunities in the areas of green tech, rare earth processing, maritime and shipping industries, and fisheries, among others, especially in the context of the India-EFTA TEPA deal.
Sitharaman said the effective operationalisation of TEPA will foster mutual benefits for both sides and that she looked forward to the timely operationalisation of the same, the Finance Ministry said.
