Chief ministers turn CEOs, woo NRIs to invest in their states

January 9, 2017

Bengaluru, Jan 9: Chief Ministers of four states and a union territory donned the role of chief executive officers (CEOs) on the second day of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) on Sunday, wooing NRIs to invest in their respective states. They offered NRIs sops and relaxation in norms to do business with ease.

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Chief ministers of Karnataka, Assam, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Puducherry got down the business and displayed competition to woo investments.

Highlighting the “advantages” Karnataka has, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the state has a unique and powerful combination of engaged citizens, hi-technology and outstanding talent supported by a well-oiled governance machinery.

Siddaramaiah told the audience the state, especially Bengaluru, has Indian Institute of Science and Indian Institute of Management and headquarters of Isro, DRDO and many IT-BT companies.

He said Mangalyaan - the Mars Orbiter Mission – India's first interplanetary mission and, “Chandrayaan” – the lunar probe mission were both conceived and delivered from here. “As we speak, scientists and engineers in the state are working on Mangalyaan-2 and Chandrayaan-2,” he added.

“Karnataka is the fountainhead of global research and development (R&D)– more than 400 multi-national companies have their global R&D centres here - perhaps the largest concentration of such centres anywhere in the world,” said Siddaramaiah. He said that some of India's best known startups such as Flipkart, Ola, Big Basket, Quikr, In Mobi are emerging from Bengaluru.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh tried to sell hard the advantage of investing in his new state. He said his state is mineral rich and has surplus power. He added that the new capital coming up in the state is the finest in the world.

In his brief address, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the 50% of the FDI India received recently had come to Maharashtra, which shows how investment-friendly his state is. He informed the audience about the investment made by Maharashtra to build infrastructure.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said his state has a vibrant industrial base with 70 industrial infrastructure hubs including growth centres, export processing industrial parks, food parks, bamboo park, plastic park, integrated industrial infrastructure centre, industrial estates, biotech park and IT park. He told the gathering about the various initiatives taken by his government to create an atmosphere conducive for investment.

Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy said that the advantage the union territory has is its size, which makes its easy for the government to concentrate on administration and reach out to the people in no time. He said the long coastline, the accommodative nature of the citizens, knowledge of French, English, besides Tamil make the state a good investment destination.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

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News Network
December 20,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 20: The Mangaluru City Police have issued a detailed traffic advisory ahead of the inaugural ceremony of Karavali Utsava, which will be held at the Karavali Utsava Ground on Saturday.

The festival will be inaugurated at 6:00 pm by Dakshina Kannada District Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao. Cultural and public programmes will be held at the venue every evening and will continue until January 2.

According to City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy, parking of vehicles is strictly prohibited on both sides of the road from Lalbagh to Karavali Utsava Ground. Visitors are requested to park their vehicles only at designated parking areas.

To help the public, traffic signboards and parking guidance flex boards have been installed along the routes leading to the venue. The police have urged commuters and visitors to follow these instructions to ensure smooth traffic movement.

Designated Parking Locations

•    Urwa Market Ground – Cars
•    Gandhinagar Government School (near Press Club) – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Ladyhill Church parking area – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Canara School Ground, Mannagudda – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Thimmappa Hotel premises – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Scout and Guide Bhavana premises (behind Karavali Utsava Grounds) – Two-wheelers
•    Urwa Market Road – Two-wheelers
•    Hat Hill Road – Two-wheelers

The police have appealed to the public to cooperate by following traffic rules and parking guidelines to avoid inconvenience during the festival.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Air India Express has announced that it will resume direct flight services between Mangaluru and Muscat from March 2026, restoring an important international air link for passengers from the coastal region.

Airport authorities said the service will operate twice a week—on Sundays and Tuesdays—from March 1. The initial flights are scheduled on March 3, 8 and 10, followed by March 15 and 17, with the same operating pattern to continue thereafter. The flight duration is approximately three hours and 25 minutes.

The Mangaluru–Muscat route was earlier operated under the 2025 summer schedule, with services beginning on July 14. At that time, Air India Express had operated four flights a week before suspending the service.

Officials said the summer schedule will come into effect from March 29, after which changes in flight timings and departure schedules from Mangaluru are expected. Passengers have been advised to check the latest schedules while planning their travel.

The resumption of direct flights to Muscat is expected to significantly benefit expatriates, business travellers and others, further strengthening Mangaluru’s air connectivity with the Gulf region.

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