The Congress government came to power after the corrupt BJP saw three chief ministers. I don’t think it has lived up to expectations.
Karnataka has not attracted large investments, there is no infrastructure and Bengaluru’s sheen is lost. It does not live up to the status of a global city. There is more hype than truth in the government’s claim on bringing in investments. Not many industries have moved into Karnataka. Approvals take a long time.
The state has a long way to go when it comes to ease of doing business. If you talk to Chief Executive Officers, they will echo this.
Though the government has brought in some schemes like the free rice scheme for the poor, which is good, they must have a good long-term strategy to bring in big investments which would lead to creation of jobs like the IT industry has done.
Job creation is the most important part. The state government must create confidence and talk to the industry about its ‘pain points’ and become a good enabler. The government cannot create jobs on its own as nothing is happening on ground; they should involve the private sector and focus on investments.
Bengaluru has developed with its own capital and the IT sector. Expansion of industry and infrastructure has happened due to the IT sector. It has happened despite the government.
Even in the case of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the crux of the issue was corruption and bad governance.
I agree that three or more administrations for the city will be easier but steps should be taken to make the divisions corruption free. This will not be served with trifurcation. The BBMP is made of elected representatives but the Mayor’s term changes every year and this leads to lack of accountability.
There should be sharp focus on private sector, creation of jobs and improvement in the quality of life of the people.
If the Siddaramaiah government does not adopt these measures, then the electorate will not bring them back.
V Balakrishnan
Former CFO, Infosys and Angel Investor