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Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Karnataka government seeks aid from corporates to build public schools
Bengaluru: Unhappy with the progress of Karnataka public schools, the state govt has appointed nodal officers to coordinate and expedite the construction of CSR-funded schools. Commissioner for industrial development, Gunjan Krishna was appointed as the coordinating officer; and Karnataka state industrial infrastructure development corporation, MD Khushboo G Chowdhary will be the CEO. The two officers will work with various corporates to mobilise CSR funds for schools. KPSes are kindergarten to class 12 schools, which the govt wants to project as signature schools providing quality education with robust infrastructure. The decision to appoint nodal officers was taken in view of the slow progress in setting up 2,000 KPSes in the state. The two officers will work to expedite the execution of this project, said the DCM's office in a press statement. Currently, there are 285 KPSes, and the plan is to add 2,000 more in three years. In a review meeting, deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar took a dig at the district commissioners and zilla panchayat CEOs. "CSR funds to the tune of Rs 8,000 crore are available in the state. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo We gave clear instructions two years ago that they must be used to build KPSes. It has come to our notice that some corporations from the state are allocating CSR funds to private NGOs in other states and taking back 50% of that amount in cash. This is resulting in a loss for the state; it is our responsibility to use it for building the schools," he said. He said the corporates need not give the govt any funds; they can build a school and hand it over to the govt. "The govt can even provide lands and building designs. The corporates can brand the schools in their name," he said. He asked the district administration to write letters to corporates and arrange a meeting with them. "The education department will provide designs for the schools; the corporates need to get a building up and running. Set a target to build one model public school in every taluk and, based on the feedback, set a target to build one school for three grama panchayats," he told DCs and CEOs. The DCM said 13 CSR Karnataka public schools are being constructed in his constituency, and each of these schools costs between Rs 9 crore and Rs 12 crore. "The work is progressing well only in some regions, while there is negligence in other regions," he said.
India Gazette
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
Nodal officers appointed for Karnataka Public Schools project
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], May 31 (ANI): The state government on Saturday appointed nodal officers to coordinate and expedite the construction of CSR-funded Karnataka Public Schools, as per a release. Commissioner for Industrial Development Gunjan Krishna has been appointed as the coordinating officer, and Karnataka State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation and MD Khushboo G Chowdhary have been appointed as the CEO. The two officers will work with various corporates to mobilise CSR funds for the Karnataka Public Schools. The Karnataka Public Schools is a dream project of the DCM to upgrade educational infrastructure in rural schools and provide high quality education to students from rural areas. All the schools would be built with CSR funds from corporates. The decision to appoint nodal officers was taken in view of the slow progress in setting up 2000 Karnataka Public Schools in the state. The two officers will work to expedite the execution of this project. In another move, the Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah issued strong instructions to officials across state during a progress review meeting and stated that districts must work to reduce the percentage of severely malnourished children by at least one percent every year. Addressing the issue of malnourished children, the CM said that although the problem cannot be eliminated overnight due to social challenges, districts must work to reduce the percentage of severely malnourished children by at least 1 per cent every year. He issued this directive to the Deputy Commissioners of Bidar, Vijayanagar, and Ballari. 'There are social reasons why it's not possible to eliminate the issue all at once. Therefore, reducing the percentage by 1 per cent every year can help,' he said. The meeting, attended by ministers and senior bureaucrats, witnessed the CM giving clear directives aimed at improving governance and service delivery. He also emphasised continuous health monitoring of children, including tracking haemoglobin levels, and questioned the lack of visible improvements in nutritional status despite the provision of milk, eggs, and supplements. 'A scientific report must be prepared to understand why there is no progress. Based on that, corrective steps should be taken,' the CM said. (ANI)
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Nodal officers to monitor CSR-funded public schools; ‘diversion' of corporate funds flagged
The State government has appointed nodal officers to coordinate and expedite the construction of CSR-funded Karnataka Public Schools (KPSs), following a review of the progress of the schools and their funding. Commissioner for Industrial Development Gunjan Krishna has been appointed as the coordinating officer, and Karnataka State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation managing director Khushboo G. Chowdhary has been appointed as the CEO. The two officers will work with various corporates to mobilise CSR funds for the KPSs. Slow progress The decision to appoint nodal officers was taken in view of the slow progress in setting up 2,000 KPSs in the State. Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar expressed unhappiness over slow progress in the construction of KPSs in the State and diversion of funds to NGOs in other States. He pulled up the Deputy Commissioners and zilla panchayat CEOs during a meeting to review the progress of KPSs. 'CSR funds to the tune of ₹8,000 crore are available in the State. We had given clear instructions two years ago that CSR funds of corporates must be used to build KPSs. It has come to our notice that some corporates from the State are allocating CSR funds to some NGOs in other States and taking back 50% of that amount in cash. This is resulting in a loss for the State. It is our responsibility to use it for building the schools here,' he said. 'Branding' schools 'The corporates need not give the government any funds, they can build a school and hand it over to the government. The government can even provide land and building designs. The corporates can even brand the schools in their name,' he said. 'We are building 13 CSR KPSs in my constituency, and each of these schools costs anywhere between ₹9 crore and ₹12 crore. The work on the schools is progressing well only in some regions, while there is negligence in other regions,' he said. Mr. Shivakumar urged the district administration to write letters to corporates in their districts and hold a meeting to discuss the construction of schools using their CSR funds. 'Set a target to build one model public school in every taluk and based on that feedback, set a target to build one school for three gram panchayats,' he told the Deputy Commissioners and zilla panchayat CEOs. 'I have instructed the Bengaluru Deputy Commissioner and zilla panchayat CEO to call a meeting of all corporates in their jurisdiction and discuss the allocation of CSR funds. Similarly, district administrations must hold meetings with corporates,' he said, adding that he would take regular progress reports from now on.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Bengaluru Airport bags IndiGo's Rs 1,100 cr MRO facility, to be built on 31 acres
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Airline carrier IndiGo on Friday announced plans to establish an additional maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility at Bengaluru 's Kempegowda International Airport (KIA). The airline signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL), under which BIAL will allocate approximately 31 acres for the facility will be built with an investment of over Rs 1,100 crore, inclusive of infrastructure, plant and machinery, the Karnataka government said in a statement. With this project BIAL will support a projected 1,300 aircrafts by FY31 and potentially scale it to 2,100 aircrafts by FY 37-38, it added. The new MRO facility at KIA will be an addition to its current infrastructure already serving Airbus, Boeing and defence aircrafts."Indigo's second MRO facility is expected to generate over 750 direct high-skill jobs in engineering, logistics, warehousing, and support services," Karnataka's Commissioner for Industrial Development Gunjan Krishna said the new facility will be equipped to handle both narrow-body and wide-body aircraft, boosting the airline's operational presence in southern planned facility will consist of four hangars to accommodate four wide-body aircraft or eight narrow-body aircraft, and one paint hangar to accommodate one wide-body aircraft.'With Indigo and Air India both now operating MRO facilities in Karnataka, alongside TASL's upcoming MRO plant and HAL 's existing MRO operations in the state, Karnataka truly earns its title as the MRO Capital of Asia ,' the Industries department said in a per government sources the Kalaburagi airport was also offered to IndiGo but the airline chose Bengaluru as its base.'The presence of IndiGo's MRO will also accelerate the entry of OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers, resulting in a multiplier effect in terms of jobs, industrial growth, and vendor development,' Commissioner Krishna added. She added that the project underscores Karnataka's commitment to fostering world-class aviation infrastructure and catalyzing high-skill job a few days ago Indigo said it has roped in Ton Dortmans with over 40 years of experience to build IndiGo's overall MRO strategy including for Airbus- A350 aircraft. Last year the carrier placed an order for 30 A350-900 more than 400 aircraft in its fleet and over 900 aircrafts still on order, a dedicated MRO facility will give a significant advantage in terms of aircraft availability, greater cost efficiencies and quicker turnaround benefiting the airline and its customers, Indigo said in a statement."Developing broad IndiGo MRO capabilities marks a significant and very strategic step for IndiGo. Partnering with BIAL underlines our shared commitment to drive long-term growth of the aviation ecosystem in Bengaluru", IndiGo Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers told the media
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Airbus-Tata Chopper Unit Lands in Karnataka
Airbus, the European aerospace major, and Tata Advanced Systems (TASL), the aerospace arm of the nearly $400-billion Tata Group, have decided to set up the final assembly line (FAL) for the H125 helicopters at Kolar in Karnataka, people aware of the developments told ET. The facility will be India's first privately led helicopter assembly line, boosting the Make-in-India programme that also seeks self-reliance in aerospace manufacturing as a key objective of the dedicated scheme, experts said. The factory will produce Airbus' best-selling H125 helicopter from its civil range for India and the neighbouring countries, said the people cited above. It will be the fourth such facility in the world — after France, the US and Brazil. Karnataka beat other prospective locations, such as Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh, because of the southern state's established ecosystem in aerospace manufacturing. HAL, which began more than eight decades ago and is the fourth-biggest aircraft maker in the world by market capitalisation, is based in the state. 'The locations were examined based on their logistics facility, expansion potential, availability of skilled workforce, and promises from the state government, like fast-track approvals,' said one of the people aware of the developments. People involved in the project said the plant will be set up in the Vemgal Industrial area, around two hours from Bengaluru. It already houses other facilities of TASL, including a satellite manufacturing plant. Spokespersons at Airbus and TASL didn't respond to ET's queries on the subject. Gunjan Krishna, commissioner for industrial development and director, industries department, Karnataka, declined to speak on the subject, saying the discussions were confidential. Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh, which gained international recognition after becoming home to Kia Motors' manufacturing unit, was a strong contender. Yet, Karnataka was chosen due to its strong ancillary support ecosystem besides being a hub for TASL. The proposed facility will start with a production capacity of 10 helicopters per year but will see expansion as Airbus has projected a demand for 500 light helicopters of the H125 class in the country and South Asia in the next 20 years. The Tata-owned company recently acquired 740,000 sq ft plot in Karnataka's Vemgal Industrial Area for the establishment of an aircraft manufacturing and final assembly line, including Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul facilities. An official, on the condition of anonymity, said Vemgal has potential for expansion, including housing helipads necessary for a final assembly line for testing of aircraft before delivery. Besides that, the state as part of its aerospace and defence policy has also promised subsidies on land, including capital investment, stamp duty, incentives in electricity charges and production-linked benefits of 1% of annual turnover for a period of five years.
