BENGALURU, 24 OCT

Karnataka on Friday approved 13 major investment proposals worth Rs 27,607.26 crore, expected to create 8,704 direct jobs, even as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah warned officials against delays in project approvals.

The clearances were granted at the 66th meeting of the State High-Level Clearance Committee (SHLCC) chaired by the Chief Minister. The approvals include 11 new projects and two additional investment proposals, said Large and Medium Industries Minister MB Patil.

The new proposals, worth Rs 27,228.51 crore, include: Vayu Assets Pvt Ltd (Rs 1,251 crore; 1,912 jobs), Tejas Networks Ltd (Rs 542.19 crore; 1,312 jobs), Reliance Consumer Products Ltd (Rs 1,622 crore; 1,200 jobs), JSW JFE Electrical Steel Pvt Ltd (Rs 7,102 crore; 900 jobs), HSS Textile Pvt Ltd (Rs 740 crore; 800 jobs) and SFX India Mfg Pvt Ltd (Rs 9,298 crore; 806 jobs).
Additional investments include Embassy Industrial Park (Rs 80 crore) and Balaji Wafers Pvt Ltd (Rs 298.75 crore).

At the meeting in Vidhana Soudha, Siddaramaiah cautioned officials against citing court orders as excuses for delays, stressing that “under no circumstances should there be any scope for delay.” He directed departments to reduce timelines for issuing NOCs, including for land use changes, and to submit detailed proposals for expediting the process.

The CM also called for better coordination among departments to ensure the timely provision of infrastructure such as roads, water and electricity, and urged amendments to speed up clearances from the Pollution Control Board and Fire Department.

Highlighting the state’s investment momentum, Siddaramaiah said Rs 10.27 lakh crore worth of proposals were attracted during the Global Investors’ Meet, with around 60 per cent already under implementation, while projects worth over Rs 1.5 lakh crore are in various stages of clearance.

IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge emphasised that faster approvals would sustain employment growth, noting that Karnataka’s 37 SEZs contribute 8.2 per cent to the state's GDP, nearly matching Tamil Nadu’s 8.9 per cent from 51 SEZs.