As part of their 12-day US visit to attract investment into Karnataka, M B Patil, Minister for Large & Medium Industries & Infrastructure Development, Government of Karnataka, held a series of meetings with senior management representatives of Boeing Co, GE Group companies, USISPF, and the Deputy Managing Director of International Monetary Fund (IMF) Gita Gopinath, and discussed various investment aspects and partnerships in the State.
Patil led the delegation along with senior officials of the industries department, including Dr S Selvakumar, Principal Secretary, Department of Commerce and Industries and Gunjan Krishna, Commissioner for Industrial Development and Director, Industries and Commerce.
During his meeting with Boeing, the Minister discussed the company’s ongoing involvement in end-assembly manufacturing and R&D within the State. The delegation also explored options for potential investments in logistics centres, P2F (passenger-to-freight) conversions, and pilot and crew training centres near Karnataka’s airports. The government assessment of Karnataka's high aviation fuel tax to maintain a favourable aerospace ecosystem was also on the table for discussion.
Boeing was represented by Greta Lundeberg, Vice President of International Operations and Policy, Government Operations, and Nicole Porreca, Director of International Operations and Policy, Government Operations. The airplane maker is globally renowned for its design, manufacture, and sale of its aircraft, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles.
The Minister and the team of senior officials also discussed at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) on investor interest in the upcoming health tech park near the new Bengaluru airport and strategies to boost medical tourism in the State. Both sides explored potential partnerships for leveraging blockchain technology to address certain e-governance or municipal challenges and discussions on training curricula for Industry 4.0 skills.
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