Davos: Dassault, ArcelorMittal promise investment in K'taka

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa discussed key investment proposals at the World Economic Forum in Davos, including two ‘Centres of Excellence’ that Dassault Systems wants to setup in the state and a solar plant that steel magnate Laxmi N Mittal offered to start.

Florence Verzelen, vice-president, Dassault Systems, which already has presence in Bengaluru, said she would soon initiate measures to setup two “centres of excellence”, one of them in Bengaluru.

“Dassault plans to train nearly 2000 youths in each centre every year to take up skilled jobs in big companies,” Verzelen said, according to a release by Chief Minisiter BS Yediyurappa’s office.

Dassault is also interested to train youths in smart city projects. The defence firm would investment around a million Euros on these centres, the release added.

When Yediyurappa pointed out the growing demand for youths trained in aerospace and defence production techniques, she said that the firm would plan such centres of excellence in coming days.

Richard Ambrose, executive vice-president, Lockheed Martin, promised to visit Bengaluru soon and explore possibilities of his company investing in Karnataka for research and development activities.

Mittal, who met Yediyurappa at the Karnataka pavilion, discussed ArcelorMittal’s interest to invest in the state where it already has 3,000 acres of land in Ballari.

Noting that permission was given by previous BJP government in 2010 to start a steel plant, he said that the
project had run into troubled waters.

He promised to invest in a solar power plant in Karnataka.

Lulu Group chairman
Yusuf Ali assured to initiate measures to invest Rs 2,000 crore in Karnataka in the logistics sector.