World views India through Bengaluru, says D K Shivakumar
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday said that the world today is viewing India through Bengaluru, underlining global confidence in the country's growth and its youth.
Speaking to reporters here on his return from the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, he said, "India is the fastest growing country. People have a lot of confidence in the youth of this country. The world leaders are seeing India through Bengaluru. This city has offices of most of the Fortune 500 companies."
Shivakumar said chief ministers of ten Indian states, including Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Jharkhand and Assam, participated in the summit, along with heads of several state governments.
"Sixty five countries had taken part. There were big businessmen such as Elon Musk and others. There were about 100 public meetings and new policies were discussed," he said.
The Deputy CM said discussions at Davos focused on data centres, global capacity centres, food and beverage, aviation, renewable energy, electric vehicles and electronics, and also on urbanisation in India by 2047, particularly in Bengaluru.
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Referring to his travel experience in Europe, Shivakumar said infrastructure planning and civic discipline were noteworthy.
"I travelled by road to Davos. While going, I went through Zurich and while returning I opted for Milan. I noticed there were 30 to 40 tunnels, built 60 to 70 years ago. There is traffic sense, discipline and respect for law," he said.
The Deputy CM said the Karnataka government deliberately decided not to sign any memoranda of understanding at Davos.
"We decided not to sign any MoUs there because we want foreign investors to come here and see our available resources, strengths, environment, clean energy, pollution level, talent availability, artificial intelligence and data centre requirements," he said.
He said investors had expressed interest in investing in tier-2 and tier-3 cities to generate employment locally.
"They want these cities to be vibrant. Youth should get jobs there and avoid coming to big cities," he said.
Shivakumar stressed the need for long-term urban mobility planning.
"We need to prepare a mobility plan for the next 25 years. Ring roads are compulsory for all towns and cities," he said.
Referring to delayed projects in Bengaluru, he said similar lapses would not be allowed elsewhere.
"The way we ignored the Peripheral Ring Road and the business corridor in Bengaluru should not happen elsewhere. We have started working on it and notifications will be issued soon," he said.
He said urban development would be prioritised and reviewed shortly, adding that Bengaluru MLA N A Harris has been made chairperson for Bengaluru development and that the 'Yes Bengaluru' initiative would be launched in February.
Shivakumar said issues such as overhead cables and under-utilisation of underground utility corridors were raised during discussions at Davos.
"Investors wanted to know how we are going to set it right," he said.
He said discussions were also held on urban innovation, digital platforms and encouraging Kannadigas to do business in the state.
The Deputy CM said the government plans to set up IT City and AI City in Bidadi near Bengaluru, despite opposition.
"Many people are opposing it politically, particularly farmers. But no one can stop development. When farmers get good returns, they will accept it," he said.
He said Karnataka had offered unprecedented compensation for land acquisition for the Peripheral Ring Road.
"No one has given such an offer to land losers anywhere in the country the way we are giving," Shivakumar said.
Several companies have shown interest in green hydrogen, electronics and nanotechnology. "Many companies have shown interest in green hydrogen energy. Forty-five companies spoke to us about electronics and nanotechnology. We have decided on the speed of doing business, and I will discuss this with the Chief Minister," he said.
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India is going to do this more and more often: Sanju Samson
New Delhi (PTI): Sanju Samson, whose exploits fuelled India's recent T20 World Cup triumph, on Sunday asserted that the country is poised to rule global cricket for years to come.
Speaking on the sidelines of the BCCI Naman Awards 2026 in the capital, Samson also likened his exploits during India's triumphal march to the title to a movie, and said it was yet to sink in.
"Not yet, I am still like, actually, when I get up in the morning I'm like 'has it really happened'. So honestly, that's the feeling," Samson said when asked about last Sunday's triumph.
He added, "But I feel that in the coming years with the quality of players we have in our country, this is going to be repeated. It's not going to be, okay, it has happened once in a while. The amount of players which are coming up and definitely India is going to do this more and more often."
Samson was named Player of the Tournament in the 2026 T20 World Cup after a historic campaign, scoring 321 runs at a strike rate of nearly 200 in just five innings to lead India to the title.
Despite not playing initially, he delivered 80-plus scores in the must-win Super Eights match against the West Indies, the semi-final against England, and in the final against New Zealand.
Samson further said he has been dreaming to help India win a World Cup.
"Absolutely, I think you can only dream where you want to go, but you can't definitely ride the path towards it. So my life or my career has been one of the best examples. I definitely wanted to do this a couple of years ago.
"I want to win a World Cup for my country, but it had its own plan, its own script. So, but more like a movie. I enjoyed it," Samson said.
The unassuming star from Kerala has been toiling for years to leave an impact on the game, and the T20 World Cup was his finest moment.
"As I said before, I wanted to do something like this, then I got pulled out of my journey, and then suddenly, the team wanted me to come and contribute, and that's when I actually mentally flipped a bit... I think, before that, in the New Zealand series, the focus was all about myself.
"But in the World Cup, the focus is all about the team. I think what does a team require. And in the Zimbabwe game, right from that moment, everyone wanted me to contribute to it. I had a role to play.
"So that's when the shift happened and the confidence that, okay, 'the team needs you, Sanju', and let's do what you can the best. So that's where everything started from.
"And then I had the experience, I was working mentally. I was working physically, so I knew that I'm ready, and I knew that this is meant for me, so I just had to do what I know best.
"So, I've been playing this format for a very long time and then it was just about planning and going out there and executing it," Samson said.
Pacer Mohammed Siraj described the triumph as a "miracle" from a personal point of view as he was not even part of the initial squad for the tournament and was included only as a replacement for an injured Harshit Rana.
"I was not in the initial squad, then I got it, played a game, and now I have been part of two World Cup-winning squads. I would say it's a miracle for me," Siraj said.
