‘Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board should have entrepreneurs’

While the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) is focusing on the development of industries, prime importance should be given to small and medium scale industries.

This is not all, in the last 15 years Karnataka State Small Industries Development Corporation (KSSIDC) has not formed a single shed, as they are still in their shell, said J Crasta, MSME council member of the government of India, on a lighter note.

Speaking at the seminar on the ‘Role of KIADB and KSSIDC in the development of MSME in Karnataka’, at the NGO Conference Hall, Cubbon Park on Tuesday, Crasta said that there were over 3.86 lakh small scale industries in Karnataka, employing over 11 lakh people, while there were 792 medium and small scale industries which employ a lakh people. There was a lot of potential in setting up small scale units in Tier 2 and 3 cities since it would encourage all the skilled entrepreneurs from Bangalore to shift back to their hometown for independent livelihood, which would reduce the congestion in the city.

Just as in the case of Gujarat where industries have sprung in the vicinity of highways, the same should be done in Karnataka with a special provision of allocating 20%-25% of the land for small scale industries. Karnataka can go ahead of Gujarat in industrial development provided there was sufficient support from the government.

Furthermore, the KIADB board should allocate 50 % of their membership for private entrepreneurs rather than mere bureaucrats. This provision will help in obtaining better ideas for industrialisation and development.

Adding to this, Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association (KASSIA) president SS Biradar said that a Suvarna corridor project was coming up in Gujarat, connecting Ahmedabad and Baroda.

The same has been proposed here but has been delayed due to various governmental hiccups.

He said that while KIADB is allocating land for setting up major industries, smaller ones were lagging. He added that a land bank should be created for the betterment of industries.