H D Kumaraswamy questions US firm getting Rs 3.2 crore subsidy for every job it creates in Gujarat
H D Kumaraswamy questions US firm getting Rs 3.2 crore subsidy for every job it creates in Gujarat
Bengaluru: Union steel and heavy industries minister H D Kumaraswamy of JD(S) wondered aloud Friday if India needed investments like US-headquartered semiconductor manufacturer Micron Technology setting up a $2.5 billion unit in Gujarat and potentially receiving Rs 3.2 crore in subsidies for every job it creates. After identifying the company in a televised live address to party workers in Karnataka, he hastened to clarify that he was “not authorised” to do so.
“The new manufacturing unit will generate about 5,000 jobs. For this, we are giving them $2 billion in subsidies... If you calculate, that’s 70% of the company’s total investment,” Kumaraswamy said on his return to Bengaluru after joining the third Narendra Modi govt.
“I asked officials how justifiable it is to allocate such a significant amount of funds. Conversely, there are small-scale industries... In Peenya (an industrial estate in Bengaluru), there are small-scale industries. How many lakh jobs have they created? What benefits have we provided to them? I am contemplating these matters, such as how to safeguard the nation’s wealth.”
Thanking PM Modi for entrusting him with the steel and heavy industries portfolios, Kumaraswamy said he would focus on creating employment opportunities for the youth of the country. “I can facilitate job opportunities outside the state as well. You must be willing to relocate,” he added.
The former Karnataka CM, who is in his first stint as Union minister, said he would need “approximately 15 days to grasp governance”.
Kumaraswamy criticised Congress’s guarantee schemes in Karnataka, saying he believed in fostering self-reliance by providing employment rather than making people dependent on handouts.
Comparing his party’s estranged relationship with Congress and its new alliance with BJP, Kumaraswamy said PM Modi showed him and JD(S) respect, while the grand old party mistreated them. “They (Congress) also attempted to politically eliminate us.”
While affirming his commitment to BJP-led NDA, he urged the people of the state to consider giving JD(S) an opportunity to govern independently.
Kumaraswamy also urged the Congress govt in the state to cooperate with him for Karnataka’s benefit. “Let us set aside politics and our disagreements. I am prepared to collaborate with you and contribute to the welfare of the state.”
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