Karnataka chief minister invites Czech firms to expand beyond Bengaluru into energy and aerospace

During a session at Vidhana Soudha, Karnataka chief minister D K Shivakumar called on Czech businesses to look beyond Bengaluru and invest across the state, citing sectors such as energy, automobile components, future mobility, aerospace and defence. He pointed to Karnataka’s extensive solar and hydroelectric capacity and specifically invited the Czech energy major EPH to explore opportunities. Shivakumar noted a pending MoU with Gopalan Aerospace and highlighted potential partnerships with Czech companies including Škoda Auto, Doosan Škoda Power, and the Tata AutoComp-Škoda railway venture.

He assured facilitation via Invest Karnataka, Karnataka Udyog Mitra, the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board and a single-window clearance mechanism, aiming to attract technology, quality jobs and export growth. The chief minister also urged joint research and skill-development programmes between Czech technical universities and Karnataka institutions, building on the 2024 Strategic Partnership on Innovation. The Czech delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister Karel Havlicek and accompanied by Deputy Foreign Minister Marie Chatardova and industry head Jan Rafaj, is in India to identify investment prospects.