Bengaluru, 25 Jan

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK 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.

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 NA 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.