Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 20: Shri. Murugesh R Nirani, Honourable Minister for Large and Medium Industries, Government of Karnataka, on Thursday, August 19, 2021 evening said that there is a need for a real and one-time single-window clearance for businesses. He added he knows the pain of industry, which has to deal currently with multiple approvals for the start of operations even after obtaining a single-window clearance from authorities.

Shri Nirani, the Chief Guest at the 44th Annual General Meeting of the Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC), stated that he would soon meet industry bodies to seek suggestions to improve its functioning. He also complimented BCIC for acting as the brand ambassador of Karnataka and supporting the Government on various matters during the challenging Covid-19 pandemic times.  Further, the Honourable Minister responded positively to the request of BCIC’s Incoming President K.R.Sekar’s suggestion of partnering with BCIC on the proposed Global Investor Summit. The Minister welcomed the initiative of BCIC opening its office in Tokyo and expressed hope of its reach in other parts of Karnataka in the near future and its presence in Mysore and Dharwad.

The Minister also said he is aware of the high power tariff levied on industries that need to be addressed to compete with neighbouring countries.

He added that ‘Walk to Work’ is needed to reduce congestion in Bengaluru. Towards that end, going forward, 15% of space in industrial parks would be reserved for industrial, residential townships.

BCIC witnessed a change of guard on Thursday afternoon as Mr KR Sekar, Partner, Deloitte Haskins and Sells LLP, took over as President of the Chamber. Dr L Ravindran, who was Vice President of the Chamber in 2020-21, will now be the Senior Vice President for 2021-22.

Later, on Thursday, while addressing BCIC’s 44th AGM, the Chamber’s outgoing President Mr T R Parasuraman, President & Whole Time Director, Toyota Industries Engine India Pvt Ltd, said that the senior office bearers had set the theme for the year as “Namma Karnataka – The Gateway to Future India”. He added that this was done as the Chamber wants to make Karnataka the destination for global investors.

He also stated that BCIC had represented the industry’s voice to the Central and State governments and had received timely support, especially from Former Karnataka Chief Minister Shri B S Yediyurappa’s Government.

In his welcome address at the AGM, Mr K R Sekar said, “BCIC has been at the forefront of working with the Government of Karnataka and would continue co-operating with the State government in all its policies. Further, K.R.Sekar also requested the Honourable Minister to consider engaging BCIC as a partner for the proposed Global Investment Summit as BCIC has a strong team and has both Global Indian and MNCs as their members. K.R. Sekar also assured the Minister that BCIC would work with leading Industries and other chambers of commerce to support the Government of Karnataka on “Ease of doing business.”

Mr Jaishankar, Chairman and Managing Director, Brigade Enterprises Ltd., one of the Special Guests of Honour at the AGM, said that Karnataka is facing competition from neighbouring states, especially Telangana, to retain its ‘I.T. capital’ tag. He added that the infrastructure in Bengaluru also needs to be improved in the coming years to keep pace with the city’s growing population.

Mr Soumitra Bhattacharya, Managing Director, Bosch Limited and President of the Bosch Group in India, another Special Guest of Honour at the AGM, said Karnataka needs to retain its tag as ‘Silicon Valley of the world for start-ups. He pointed out that though the State is the third-largest recipient of FDI equity inflow into India, it has slipped alarmingly in the country’s ‘Ease of Doing Business’ rankings.

According to him, Karnataka should focus on:

1. a) Being in the top 5 states in ‘Ease of Doing Business’ rankings;

(b) Ensuring single-window clearance is just that and not multiple single windows;

(c) Clearances for existing companies should be time-bound and measurable,

(d) Focus on vocational training for youth.

The awardees and jury of BCIC Women Leadership and Entrepreneur Award 2021 and BCIC Expert Committee Leaders were also felicitated at the AGM.