Karnataka is a globally renowned knowledge hub, home to the largest number of R&D centres, technical and medical institutions, and start-ups in India. A pleasant climate, cosmopolitan culture and investor-friendly business ecosystem make Karnataka one of the most sought-after investment destinations in the country. Moreover, the government’s highly responsive administrative apparatus has been extremely proactive in simplifying and improving the state’s business landscape. Karnataka is geared to attract and absorb new investments across multiple sectors over the coming few years. On 14th February 2020, the government of Karnataka hosted the Invest Karnataka – Hubballi Conference, the first-ever investors’ meet held in Karnataka outside Bengaluru. Inaugurated by Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, the main goal of this meet was to attract investors and reputed companies who could help develop North Karnataka as a leading destination for business investments. Another goal was to collaborate with business leaders, thought leaders, research institutions, think tanks and[...]

Recycling Parks In Clusters Proposed Under Sagarmala Project : Eka The Government of India is focused on boosting the performance of the country’s logistics sector. One effective way of doing this is of course leveraging the country’s 7,500 km-long coastline, 14,500 km of potentially navigable waterways and the multiple strategic locations that are already present along key international maritime trade routes. In keeping with this ambition, the ‘Sagarmala’ project was envisioned and initiated. The project, launched in 2015, aims to accelerate port-led infrastructure development in the country. Along the way, it expects to create 1 crore new jobs (including 40 lakh direct jobs) over the next 10 years. The project has a unique approach in that it that integrates various projects that are usually stand-alone. These projects cover port connectivity, freight expressways, new pipelines for transporting crude and petroleum products, inland waterways, multi-modal logistics hubs and coastal community development. The Sagarmala programme seeks[...]

Infrastructure Investment Proposal of The Government of India During a recent conference, Finance Minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman revealed that in a span of 4 months, she and her task force had held 70 meetings with various stakeholders engaged in various sectors. Following these meetings, her task force has identified a number of National Infrastructure Projects worth Rs. 102 lakh crores. She further stated that in the coming few weeks, another 3 lakh crore-worth projects are expected to be added to this list. This means that there are a total of 105 lakh crore-worth of projects in the pipeline. Out of these, the government has already made a commitment for 100 lakh crores . These projects under the aegis of 22 ministries spread across 18 states and union territories, will surely serve as one of the key drivers of economic growth in the country, and enable the government to meet its ambition[...]

Infrastructure Maintenance Service in Mumbai, India Back in the 19th and 20th centuries, civil engineering infrastructure designed and built in India was based on the then-prevalent state of technical knowledge and general practices of British professionals.  Thanks to their simple and robust construction, and the use of good quality, naturally available materials, these structures have required relatively lower maintenance effort over time, especially when compared to modern structures.  Evidence shows that some of these “old” structures including, PWD road bridges, railway bridges and dams have stood the test of time for over 100 years. In fact, we use many of these structures even today!  It would not be incorrect to say that these structures were frequently “over-designed”, which was definitely not a bad thing in the ‘lower cost, lower competition’ world of yore. As the latter half of the 20th century ushered in advances in construction materials, building technology and analytical design tools,[...]