The Karnataka government, which had released Rs 776 crore during the 2016-17 fiscal year for the Smart City project, will provide Rs 1,188 crore in the 2017-18 fiscal, Governor Vajubhai Vala said on Thursday. The Governor was speaking at the 68th Republic Day celebrations at Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw Grounds in Bengaluru.
The military and police carried out a march past and a helicopter showered flowers on the Indian flag. Addressing the gathering after the flag hoisting ceremony, the Governor said that the project aimed to provide smart solutions at reasonable rates for services provided by the municipal corporations and building infrastructure.
Mangaluru, Belagavi, Shivamogga, Hubballi-Dharwad, Tumakuru and Davanagere have been selected for the Smart City project.
“Karnataka stands number one in investment intentions. Between January and September 2016, it has attracted investments of more than Rs 1.40 lakh crores and has resulted in the employment of 15 lakh people. Karnataka is a role model for other states,” the Governor said.
The Governor noted that the state is still the leader in the IT and BT sectors, which are growing at a rate of 12% per annum and have been providing 70,000 jobs each year. The state has also commissioned new projects to reduce power deficiency and aims to provide power to every household by 2020, Vala added.
“Steps were taken to increase additional generation capacity of 3657 MW by strengthening the transmission network and also the introduction of the Ganga Kalyan scheme, among other things,” the Governor said.
The Ganga Kalyan Scheme was introduced to drill borewells and provide irrigation facilities to farmers.
The Governor also said that the government is striving hard to take Karnataka to greater heights; "Karnataka had been in the forefront of the development agenda in the country and my government is striving hard to take the state to a greater heights in its pursuit to make India a great powerhouse."