Speed of doing business? Only 15% investments realised since 2013

Belagavi/Bengaluru: Only 15% of investment proposals in Karnataka approved since 2013 have materialised, indicating the struggle the state government is facing in ensuring ease of doing business, especially to reduce the time projects take to get started. 

Between 2013 and October 2025, the state government gave clearances to 4,423 investment proposals. These promised investments to the tune of Rs 9.26 lakh crore and 20.56 lakh jobs. However, only 697 projects have been implemented, landing investments of Rs 2.17 lakh crore and 4.96 lakh jobs. This is according to data laid in the Legislative Council by Industries Minister M B Patil. 

Karnataka, which is locked in a race against its neighbours to attract investments, has approved projects worth Rs 5.50 lakh crore and 8.76 lakh jobs under the new Industrial Policy this year. Offering several incentives, the Industrial Policy 2025-30 approved earlier this year, targets investments worth Rs 7.5 lakh crore and the creation of 20 lakh jobs.

The government seems on track to meet the targets, going by the approvals given. But evidently, projects take years to opertionalise. 

Since 2013, the government approved 954 investment proposals worth Rs 3.30 lakh crore creating 3.02 lakh jobs in North Karnataka. Of them, only 203 have been implemented, resulting in an investment of Rs one lakh crore and 97,715 jobs. While 91 projects were shelved, the remaining 690 are in “various stages” of implementation.

In the same period, 3,649 projects worth Rs 5.95 lakh crore and 17.53 lakh jobs were approved for South Karnataka and the coastal region. Only 494 of them involving Rs 1.17 lakh crore investment and 3.99 lakh jobs materialised. As many as 317 projects backed out and the rest 2,658 are under implementation. 

To a question by BJP MLC D S Arun, Patil specified that Karnataka has not seen a dip in investments.

On investments moving to Telangana, the minister stated: “The government has no official report on industries relocating to other states in the last two years.”

Speaking in the Council last week, Patil said the state should shift from ease of doing business to “speed of doing business.” He added that investments take 2-3 years to become a reality.