Karnataka signs MoUs worth Rs 1,650 cr at NRI meet

Gandhinagar (Gujarat), Jan 10: Though Chief Minister Siddaramaiah skipped the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas held here to woo expatriate Indians to invest in Karnataka, his government on Friday signed five MoUs for Rs 1,650 crore worth of investments.

The government signed an open-ended MoU with Poland India Business Council for bilateral co-operation for promoting investments in areas like energy, tourism, culture, waste management, manufacturing, information technology, and education.

Minister for Tourism and Higher Education R V Deshpande led the Karnataka delegation. He challenged the claim of Gujarat to be the most vibrant state in terms of industrial development.

œIf there is any vibrant state in the country, it is not Gujarat, but Karnataka. We have transparency, quick decision-making, homely atmosphere and ease of doing business, he told the expatriate Indians on the concluding day of the PBD-2015 on Friday.

The Gujarat government is organising a Vibrant Gujarat summit in Gandhinagar from January 11 to 13 to woo investments from around the world.

Though Siddaramaiah didn't attend the PBD, a video of his appeal to the expatriates was played at the beginning of the session.

œWe recently launched a new industrial policy for 2014-2019, giving importance to the manufacturing sector and offered liberal incentives and concessions. Karnataka is actively promoting industry in the proposed Chennai-Bangalore-Chitradurga Industrial Corridor and Bangalore-Mumbai Economic Corridor projects, which will be models for the entire country, he said.

Deshpande noted that Karnataka benefited enormously by its association with the NRIs. œOur IT industry now employs 11 lakh people with revenues of over Rs 200,000 crore a year, of which Rs 165,000 crore are exports, he said.

œBengaluru has become the'startup capital of India with over 4,000 startups and around 1,000 startups every year. There are startups in technology, medical science, hospitals, biotechnology, high-tech manufacturing and design, electronics, retail and e-commerce, etc, all at the cutting edge.

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Major facelift for Mangaluru's sporting heart: Mangala Stadium set for 2-month closure to upgrade synthetic track

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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