Bengaluru: Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar Wednesday invited investors at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos to invest in Bengaluru, projecting the city as a “future-ready global hub” with strong human resources, expanding infrastructure and a growing urban economy. Addressing investors, Shivakumar described Bengaluru as a preferred destination for global companies and said the state govt was committed to supporting investment and long-term growth. “Bengaluru is the city of the future. We have excellent weather, culture and human resources. Many global companies are thriving in the city, I welcome you also to our city,” he said. He said more than 500 top global companies were currently operating from Bengaluru and highlighted the city’s deep talent pool across sectors. Emphasising Karnataka’s strength in healthcare education, Shivakumar said the state has 70 medical colleges that produces a huge number of professionals every year. “Some 1.5 lakh medical professionals pass out of the state’s colleges,” he said. Reiterating Bengaluru’s position as Asia’s IT capital, he said the city is well placed to benefit from India’s rapid urbanisation, with the country’s urban population expected to grow significantly in the next couple of decades. “We are preparing for the next 25 years,” Shivakumar said. “Today, the world’s IT capital of California has 13 lakh engineers but Bengaluru has 25 lakh. This demonstrates Bengaluru’s strength. World leaders and industrialists are attracted to the city. We are working on improving infrastructure with a focus on transport.” Highlighting ongoing infrastructure projects, he said Bengaluru’s Metro rail network would expand to 153km by 2027. He also pointed to the scale of the city’s public transport system, which currently includes 6,000 buses, of which 2,500 are electric. He said infrastructure development is not limited to the capital alone, and that tier 2 and tier 3 cities in Karnataka were also being strengthened to support future growth. “We have developed good quality transport infrastructure in tier 2 and tier 3 cities as well. We are developing infrastructure to bear the load of 2045. Karnataka has an efficient govt and we extend full cooperation to investors,” he said.
