Bengaluru: Karnataka’s Minister for Large and Medium Industries, M.B. Patil, has dismissed concerns over Andhra Pradesh’s minister Nara Lokesh inviting industrialists to relocate, asserting confidently that no entrepreneur will abandon Karnataka on such invitations alone.
Responding to media queries on Wednesday about Lokesh’s open invitation to industries, Patil said, “Karnataka holds 65% of the aerospace share in the country. Globally, we rank third in providing the best business environment. Merely offering land does not prompt industries to relocate; the overall working environment plays a critical role.”
He emphasised that Karnataka’s competitive edge goes beyond infrastructure. “In the proposed Devanahalli Defence and Aerospace Park, we withdrew the land acquisition process in consideration of farmers’ interests. Still, we are ready to provide land wherever required by the industries. But for aerospace industries, it’s not just land, we provide water, electricity, and a conducive ecosystem. I will not let a single industrialist leave the state,” he declared.
Patil also acknowledged Lokesh’s tweet and said he had already responded to it.
