BENGALURU: Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Steel HD Kumaraswamy on Saturday hit back at Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge for calling him an “unemployment minister”, challenging him to account for investments attracted and jobs created by the IT-BT department, while listing his ministry’s achievements.
Kumaraswamy said he had taken the criticism as a challenge and accused Kharge of speaking without understanding the work being undertaken by the ministry.
“Before making statements, Kharge should gather information about the work done by my ministries. When I took charge as Heavy Industries Minister, BHEL was making a profit of around Rs 200 crore. It has now crossed Rs 1,500 crore. SAIL has recorded 315 per cent growth,” he told reporters in New Delhi.
Listing the Centre’s initiatives in the electric vehicle sector, he cited the FAME-II and PM E-DRIVE schemes, production-linked incentive programmes, battery manufacturing and charging infrastructure projects. He said more than 30 lakh electric vehicles had been sold under the Centre’s incentive programmes.
He also referred to the PM e-Bus Sewa scheme, under which more than 38,000 electric buses were being deployed, with 4,500 allocated to Bengaluru.
Questioning Kharge’s performance as IT-BT minister, Kumaraswamy asked him to disclose the investments attracted by his department and the number of jobs created.
He claimed that Karnataka was losing its appeal as an investment destination, claiming that industrialists were reluctant to set up units in the state. Citing Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India’s decision to withdraw its proposed electric vehicle manufacturing project at Narsapura in Kolar, he asked the state government to explain the reasons behind it.
Taking a swipe at Chief Minister D K Shivakumar’s development initiatives under the ‘Drudha Sankalpa Karnataka’ vision, Kumaraswamy suggested that the government should also introduce a ‘Sting Karnataka’ scheme, in an apparent reference to the ongoing sting operation controversy.
HMT launches five ‘Kannadiga’ watch models for Rajyotsava Kumaraswamy announced that HMT would launch five special watch models under the brand name ‘HMT Kannadiga’ on Sunday (November 1) to mark Karnataka Rajyotsava.
The watches will be unveiled at a special programme at the HMT playground in Jalahalli, Bengaluru, in the presence of Kannada organisations and activists. Priced between Rs 3,500 and Rs 3,600, the watches will be available in chain and leather-strap variants, he said.
The programme will also feature a musical evening by composer Arjun Janya, with representatives of around 25 to 30 Kannada organisations expected to participate. Kumaraswamy said he had interacted with Kannada activists through an online meeting from Delhi and urged various Kannada organisations to unite on a common platform to protect the interests of the state.
He said HMT had a strong emotional connection with Kannadigas and that efforts were being made to revive the iconic public sector watchmaker. “I have been an admirer of HMT watches since childhood. The brand has an emotional bond with Kannadigas. As the minister in charge, I am making sincere efforts to revive the factory and restore its past glory,” he said.
