GIACC Reception for Karnataka Chief Minister and his Delegation
Text and Photo by Mahadev
Desai
The red carpet was rolled out by the Georgia Indo-American
Chamber of Commerce (GIACC) and major sponsors Eko Vehicles
Ltd., TiE and Erin Consultants, for the visiting Chief Minister
of Karnataka, Sri B.S.Yeddyrappa and his delegation at the
breakfast reception held at Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead, Atlanta, on
Tuesday, September 2.
Upon arrival, the Chief Minister greeted the attendees that
included the Consul General of India S.M.Gavai, Georgia's
Attorney General Thurbert Baker and Commissioner Ken Stewart of
the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
The event was emceed by Mr. C.N.(Madhu) Madhusudan, the CEO of
VectorSpan Inc. He welcomed the Chief Minister and the members
of his delegation that included several ministers, Chief
Secretary Mr. Sudhakar Rao and
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Keynote address |
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other key leaders of Karnataka.
He said that the GIACC was honored by their visit and
appreciated the presence of dignitaries like Gavai, Baker and
Stewart. Pointing out that visits by Heads of States and their
delegations from India are extremely critical in building
bridges, he said that such visits were important to learn about
business opportunities, practices and culture. By touring in the
US and participating in many business and cultural events, the
visiting team got an excellent insight into US business and
culture. Striking a lighter note, he encouraged the audience to
reciprocate by learning a word in Kannada, a commonly used
graceful greeting in Karnataka - 'Namaskara'. The audience
cheerfully joined him in wishing 'Namaskara' to the Chief
Minister and his delegation. After giving a brief introduction
of Karnataka and its capital Bangalore and contrasting it with
Georgia and Atlanta, Madhusudan invited the Chief Minister to
address the gathering.
The Chief Minister is a leader who is passionate, committed and
zealous about making a difference, wanting to change things and
making Karnataka a leading State in India. He said that he was
happy to be in Atlanta and thankful for the opportunity to
address the gathering. Karnataka is one of the top
industrialized states in India. As BJP has a clear majority in
Karnataka, he could confidently assure the investors of atleast
five years of stable government. Our one and only agenda is
Development, development and development he said. We have a
vision and a mission of creating a strong state, an
investor-friendly and progressive state , he said.
He touched upon some salient facts:
- New Industrial Policy 2006-11 to promote rapid
industrialization.
- New infrastructure Policy 2011 with strong
public/Private partnership.
- Faster approval through single window mechanism through
Karnataka Udyog Mitra.
- Ambition to become the aerospace hub of the country.
- Karnataka has over 2033 IT companies, over 688 MNCs and
87 Global Fortune 500 companies. It is home to 50% of the
bio-tech companies in India, and provides the largest number
of doctors, nurses and paramedics in the country.
- The Government of India has approved 45 SEZ in the
State.
- A Global Investors Meet will be held in January 2009 to
encourage and facilitate investment in Karnataka.
I invite you all to be a partner in Karnataka s growth and
prosperity" he concluded to a thunderous applause.
The Attorney General Baker presented a memento on behalf of
GIACC to the Chief Minister to mark his visit to Atlanta.
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GA
A.G.Baker presenting a Memento to the CM |
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The gathering was full of appreciation of the short but
highly impressive documentary on Karnataka which was
screened in the reception room.
Following the presentation, the Chief Secretary Mr. Sudhakar
Rao responded to the questions from the floor. He assured
the attendees that though agriculture and rural development
are top most priorities, the continued development of
Bangalore will not be ignored. In addition, there will be
extensive focus on developing Tier 2 and tier 3 cities , he
said.
Welcoming the Chief Minister and his delegation to Atlanta,
Commissioner Ken Stewart commented that Georgia has long
standing relations with India. He recalled his visit to
Karnataka and remarked that there are many similarities
between Karnataka and Georgia as the latter also believes in
'faster, friendlier and easier customer service. It is
commendable that Karnataka is also treating companies like
valued customers", he said.
On behalf of GIACC, the Honorable Consul General Gavai
thanked the Chief Minister and his delegation for choosing
Atlanta on their first visit to the US. It is only
appropriate that you have come to Atlanta, a dynamic city
with many business opportunities. Top US Corporations
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Hon.Gavai moving
Vote of Thanks |
working in India have their headquarters here", he said. He
also thanked Attorney General Baker, GIACC and all the
sponsors. He recognized GIACC President Narsi Narasimhan,
former Chairman and emcee C.N.(Madhu)Madhusudan,GIACC s
honorary representative in Bangalore Mr. Sai Prakash, and
Founding President Mr. Ani Agnihotri to name a few. He
stressed on GIACC s importance to the Indian Consulate. Mr.
Gavai ended his remarks on a personal note disclosing that
his next assignment would be in Canada as India's High
Commissioner. He appreciated the warmth, affection and
cooperation he received from GIACC and the various Indian
groups in Atlanta.
The event was well attended and an outstanding testimony to
the rising importance of global cities like Atlanta and
Bangalore.
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