Montgomery delegation comprising over 30 industry experts holds talks with Karnataka Ministers

Bengaluru: The delegation comprising over 30 industry experts from Montgomery of America held discussions on Friday with the team of Karnataka ministers headed by Large and Medium Industries Minister MB Patil to explore investment opportunities.

Higher Education Minister Dr MC Sudhakar, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, and Political Secretary to the Chief Minister Govindaraj were present in the talks held with the Montgomery delegation led by Elrich Marc County Executive, Montgomery County (MD USA).

It is noted here, that the Karnataka business delegation had held talks with the US-India SME Council during its' recent America visit and invited them to visit the state to identify the investment opportunities.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister MB Patil said that there has been a significant growth of 7.5 times in India-USA bilateral trade in the last two decades. The trade volume is projected to exceed $230 billion by 2025, he added.

More than 2000 leading US companies are operating in Karnataka, employing over 1.3 million individuals. In 2019 alone, the USA made investments in India surpassing $45 billion. 400 Fortune 500 companies have chosen Karnataka as their home, Patil explained.

Recognizing the paramount importance of a skilled workforce, our government is committed to nurturing future-ready talent through robust industry-academia collaborations, he emphasised. Bengaluru being the heart of Karnataka's innovation landscape has emerged as a vast reservoir of AI/ML professionals, the Minister pointed out.

Dinesh Gundu Rao said that the state has been keen to collaborate with Montgomery in the health sector.

Dr MC Sudhakar stated that the government would focus on establishing collaborations with American universities including Montgomery University.

On the occasion, Dinesh Gundu Rao and MC Sudhakar were honoured by presenting medals on behalf of Montgomery County.

Evan Glass, President Montgomery County Council, Tompkins Bill, President and CEO Montgomery Economic Dev Corp., Costello Judy, Special Projects Montgomery Mgr - Biz, Innov, Econ Dev., Montgomery County Office of the County Exec., Arthur Pavan Bezwada, Commissioner, MD Governor's Commission on South Asian American Affairs were among those who represented the Montgomery delegation.

Industries Department Principal S. Secretary Selvakumar and Commissioner Gunjan Krishna attended the meeting. Gunjan Krishna also explained how Karnataka is conducive for investments with the help of a visual presentation.