Karnataka woos Japanese companies with new Clean Mobility policy

Karnataka Industries Minister M B Patil said that the state government wants to position Karnataka as the 'premier destination' for EV manufacturing.

Bengaluru: Karnataka Industries Minister M B Patil on Wednesday invited Japanese companies to invest in the electric vehicles (EV) sector by assuring them that the state government is coming out with a new Clean Mobility policy.

Patil said this during a meeting with a delegation of Japanese parliamentarians. He said that the government wants to position Karnataka as the "premier destination" for EV manufacturing.

"The focus will be on the entire value chain related to e-mobility - from battery and cell manufacturing, component production, original equipment manufacturers, charging and testing infrastructure to research and development," Patil said.

During the day, Patil chaired the first meeting of the Aerospace & Defence vision group. To put the sector on a profit-making track, Patil said that it is necessary to push for indigenisation of the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) processes.

Patil said that about 70 per cent of MRO processes are happening overseas. "This needs to be addressed to make the sector more attractive," he said.

"Opportunities in the sector are expected to increase massively as there will be an inclusion of around 1,000 civilian flights in the next 10-15 years," Patil said.

On the KIADB's Aerospace & Defence park located near the Bengaluru airport, Patil said that steps would be taken to ensure quality approach roads. "Priority would be given to set up quality schools, hotels and better lodging facilities in the surrounding areas," he added.

Krittivas Mukherjee of Air Bus, Samith Roy of RTX Collins Aerospace, Udyanth Malhotra of Dynamic Technologies, Ashwani Bhargava from Boeing were among those who attended the meeting.