Bengaluru, 5 June

Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar held talks with a high-level German delegation here on Friday about investment opportunities, officials said.

The delegation, led by Mario Voigt, Minister-President of the German State of Thuringia, is on a visit to Karnataka.

Shivakumar said Karnataka and Thuringia would work closely to identify areas of mutual interest, including joint ventures, technology transfer, and the exchange of skills and talent.

He added that the Government of Karnataka and Thuringia would collaborate to drive innovation and next-generation technologies.

Welcoming the delegation, Minister for Large and Medium Industries MB Patil said Karnataka and Thuringia share strong potential for collaboration in optics and photonics, semiconductors, biotechnology, electric vehicles, renewable energy, and advanced manufacturing.

Patil invited companies from Thuringia to invest in Karnataka, noting that the state's industrial policy places special emphasis on them.

He said the state government is committed to promoting balanced industrial growth.

Emphasising that the state is increasingly focusing on manufacturing while retaining its leadership in the services sector, he urged companies from Thuringia to use the opportunities in Karnataka.

Voigt praised Karnataka's robust R&D ecosystem, highly skilled digital talent pool, engineering capabilities, world-class start-up environment, and infrastructure in quantum technology and aerospace. 

Meanwhile, the government issued an order implementing the free bus pass scheme for all students.

The facility can be availed of by students travelling on buses operated by KSRTC, BMTC, NWKRTC, and KKRTC.