Toyota Kirloskar Motor to invest Rs 3,300 cr to set up 3rd plant in Karnataka
Bengaluru: Toyota Kirloskar Motor on Tuesday announced plans to invest Rs 3,300 crore to set up its third plant at Bidadi in Karnataka.
The new unit, which will commence production by 2026, will have an annual capacity of 1 lakh units in two shifts.
It will come up at the company's existing facility at Bidadi, near here where it currently has two units with a combined installed production capacity of up to 3.42 lakh units annually.
The new plant, apart from producing multi-utility vehicle Innova HyCross, will be ''future ready'' to roll out models spanning across different fuel technologies, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) Executive Vice President & Country Head Vikram Gulati told PTI.
''I believe, we are as a company future-ready, both in terms of access to technology, access to well-accepted products across various powertrains as also access to the ability to bring these products to market,'' he said.
He further said in the industry, it doesn't take too much for the same line or some lines to be made ready for introducing any kind of powertrains.
''It does take a bit of doing but it's not really a huge barrier, in my opinion. So that that makes us ready and flexible in terms of any of the powertrains going forward. And I'm sure the new plant is going to be much more advanced and much more future ready,'' Gulati said when asked if the third plant will have the provision for producing new technology vehicles such as electric vehicles.
He, however, said it is too early to give any specifics.
The third plant will create 2,000 jobs, adding to the current 11,200 strong workforce across the existing two plants, he added.
The company has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Karnataka government regarding the fresh investment to set up the third plant coinciding with its 25th year of operations in India.
''As a future-ready mobility company, we are certain that today's significant MoU with the Karnataka government for the new plant will positively contribute through consequent employment generation and expand adoption of advanced clean technologies,'' TKM Managing Director and CEO Masakazu Yoshimura said at the event.
He further said TKM would continue to work with the government to develop a world-class local system that promises best solutions for India by focusing in improving energy security, promoting economic growth and achieving carbon neutrality.
In a statement, Toyota CEO Asia Region Masahiko Maeda said, ''The Indian market has always been of great importance of us. We are confident that the new investments in India, we will further elevate TKM's role in our global vision for a more promising future by creating sustainable mobility solutions that enrich people's lives worldwide.'' Last year, Toyota group firms comprising TKM and Toyota Kirloskar Auto Parts had signed an MoU with Karnataka government to invest Rs 4,100 crore to enhance electrification, fast paced shift towards greener technologies and deeper cut in CO2 emissions.
So far Totoya has invested a total of Rs 16,000 crore in India on various activities.
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Uncompromising stand against Bangladesh-origin Muslims swayed votes for NDA: Himanta
Guwahati (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday asserted that his government's "uncompromising stand" in taking steps against Bangladesh-origin Muslims swayed people in favour of the BJP-led NDA in this year's assembly elections, resulting in the alliance securing a two-thirds majority.
He maintained that the NDA's win was a victory for the Assamese indigenous people and affirmed continuing developmental work in the state.
Addressing a press conference, Sarma said, "The double-engine government and unprecedented development the state witnessed in the last five years are among the main reasons for our victory."
"We had assured of securing the Assamese 'jati' (community) and took steps to deliver it. Assam progressed in the cultural and economic sectors. Our uncompromising stand against Bangladesh-origin Muslims also had an impact," he said.
The NDA swept to a third successive term in the state by securing 102 seats in the 126-member state assembly. The BJP won 82 seats, while its allies AGP and Bodoland People's Front bagged 10 each.
On Sarma predicting nearly exact numbers for the alliance before the results, he said the assessment was based on his connect with the people.
"I visited every assembly segment thrice before elections. I have a good mass connect system, which helped in my assessment," he said.
Sarma claimed that recommendations of the Justice (retd) Biplab Sharma committee on Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, which deals with constitutional safeguards for the indigenous Assamese population, were implemented by his government.
"It was because of it that the Assamese people won yesterday. It was not just a BJP victory," he asserted.
The CM claimed the NDA secured the support of all sections of people, including Gen Z, which was evident in the young faces fielded by the BJP emerging victorious.
He dismissed the charge that the BJP has an "outsider" among its MLAs, referring to Guwahati Central legislator-elect Vijay Gupta.
"Vijay Gupta is an Assamese. If he is a Bihari, we (ancestors) also came from Kannauj. We all have come from different parts. Mongoloids came from outside, Aryans came from outside. This outsider narrative has been created by you all (media)," Sarma said.
On the Congress' poor poll performance, he maintained that there were very few people in the opposition party who understood the sentiments of the Assamese people.
Otherwise, the Congress would not have brought singer Zubeen Garg's name in its manifesto or levied allegations against an Assamese woman, Sarma added, referring to the opposition party's charges of multiple passports and undisclosed foreign investments of his wife.
The CM also maintained that Raijor Dal could have won four-five seats had it not joined hands with the Congress.
The Congress and Akhil Gogoi-led Raijor Dal were part of a six-party opposition alliance that fought the elections together. Congress won 19 seats and Raijor Dal two, with the other allies drawing a blank.
"If Akhil Gogoi had not made the mistake, Sherman Ali Ahmed would have been his MLA today," Sarma said, referring to the expelled Congress leader who won as a TMC candidate after Raijor Dal refused him a ticket owing to the alliance.
On Gogoi being the only opposition MLA to win from a Hindu-majority seat, Sarma said, "It is the people of Sibsagar who decided who will represent them. On my part, it was the only Hindu majority seat where I didn't go to campaign."
"Akhil Gogoi should be kept in the assembly, else he will create chaos on the streets with his protests," Sarma said.
He also claimed that Gogoi had failed to make a single serious speech in the assembly during his first tenure as MLA and dubbed the Raijor Dal president a "comic relief" when the proceedings get dull.
