Welcomes Theresa May at Kempegowda International Airport

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday urged Britain to review the new visa policy to minimise barriers in the flow of talented people, particularly in the IT sector.

Welcoming British Prime Minister Theresa May at the Kempegowda International Airport here, Mr. Siddaramaiah said, “Our fast growing and high value technology sectors rely upon an effective immigration policy that attracts highly skilled workers and minimises barriers to the flow of talented people. The movement of skilled tech workers from India should be seen as a trade priority rather than an immigration issue. Temporary placement of highly-skilled individuals in the U.K. provides a significant economic boost while having a negligible impact on net migration.”

Under the new visa rules announced by the U.K. Home Office, anyone applying after November 24 under the Tier 2 intra-company transfer (ICT) category would be required to meet a higher salary threshold of 30,000 pounds from the earlier 20,800 pounds. “I request you to review the new policy so that the earlier threshold is continued,” the Chief Minister said.

Industry Minister R.V. Deshpande, and Minister for IT, BT and Tourism Priyank Kharge accompanied the Chief Minister in welcoming Ms. May.

Mr. Siddaramaiah said Bengaluru was well known for its innovation, enterprise and a flourishing IT industry. “Bengaluru understands business and that is the reason for the location of many successful U.K. businesses here.” He said 15% of U.K.-based companies in India were in Karnataka, employing 23,000 people. These companies were primarily in ICT, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, health and life science sectors, in the light of the innate strength of Karnataka in technology and knowledge-based enterprises.

“We are delighted that in your maiden visit to India, you have chosen Karnataka and Bengaluru as your first place of visit outside New Delhi. I am confident that this visit would be immensely fruitful and I assure you that we will work to build a very solid economic relationship between the U.K. and Karnataka.” he said.

Mr. Siddaramaiah pointed out that several Karnataka-based companies such as Infosys, Wipro, TCS, Dynamatic Technologies, Biocon, and Microlabs continued to expand their presence and created jobs in the U.K. Karnataka presented a unique combination of a large pool of skilled work force, great technical expertise and a thriving business and industrial ecosystem. Karnataka was one of the leaders among Indian States in aerospace, automobiles, manufacturing, machine tools, information technology, bio-technology, pharmaceuticals and life sciences.

“We seek investments from U.K.-based firms in renewable energy and for creating smart cities. The strength of U.K. research and innovation and the implementation capabilities of Karnataka together can help forge a unique partnership in the days to come,” he said.

‘Opportunities’

Listing out several heritage sites, he said there was tremendous potential to develop tourism in the State. Karnataka was in the process of putting in place a Bengaluru-Mumbai Economic Corridor, under which three greenfield self-contained townships would be set up. “We shall be happy to work together to identify opportunities for the U.K. to work with Karnataka for creating next generation logistics, infrastructure and connectivity across fast growing regions of southern and western India.”

Karnataka would hosti the Aero India show in February 2017 in Bengaluru. Several British companies under the aegis of U.K. Trade and Investment have actively participated in the previous Aero India events. “We welcome the U.K. Government and the British industry to actively participate in this event, and to chalk out a plan to build up on our mutual strengths of aerospace and defence.”

Dharwad Health City project

The government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding to set up a U.K. Health City Project. About 400 acres was earmarked for this initiative at Dharwad. “We look forward to the early setting up of this project, which would support manufacturing and research and development in medical devices and equipment. We are also keen to collaborate with U.K. in the fields of maternal and child nutrition, higher education, and public health and health care”, the Chief Minister said in a statement.

Mr. Priyank Kharge would be visiting the U.K. this week to attend the World Travel Mart event and build a better understanding for long-lasting partnership between the U.K. and Karnataka.