Tuesday, June 7 2005 17:40 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bangalore: The High Level Committee (HLC) of the Karnataka Government at its meeting in Bangalore yesterday (Jun 6, 2005) has cleared fourteen mega industrial projects involving Rs 13,937 crore investments, Minister for Industries P G R Sindhya said today (Jun 7).

The meeting chaired by Chief Minister N Dharam Singh approved the proposal of Ispat Industries limited which would establish an Integrated Steel plant at a cost of Rs 7,144 crore at Raichur and that of the MSPL Ltd to set up a Iron ore pellet plant and integrated steel plant with Rs 2292.26 crore investment in Koppal, he said while addressing a press conference.

Sindhya said majority of the proposals cleared by the HLC came from other parts of the State, particularly from North Karnataka region.

He said IT major Wipro would establish a "Software Services and BPO facility" in the Hi-tech city near Bangalore at a cost of Rs 100 crore, Kirloskar Ferrous Industries Ltd, proposed to establish Integrated Steel Plant at Koppal with Rs 543 crore investment and I-flex Solutions Ltd, a software development unit with Rs 300 crore investment in the city.

The proposals of Velankani Information Systems Pvt Ltd to establish Rs 581 crore STP (Software Technology Park) near Mandya and Sasken Communication Technologies to set up Software Development unit at Bangalore with Rs 810.68 crore investment have also been approved, he said.

Sindhya said other project proposals which got green signal by HLC include, Rs 1172.10 crore STP to be set up by Shyamaraju and Company on the city outskirts, a ship building unit by Bharati Shipyard Ltd near Thannirbhavi village in Mangalore with Rs 95 crore investment.

This is the first ever ship building unit coming up in the State, he said.

Larsen and Toubro Ltd planned to set up a software development unit in Mysore with Rs 92.10 crore investment and Hospet Ispat Ltd proposed to establish a sponge iron plant with Rs 64.03 crore investment in Koppal, Sindhya said.

The proposals of Rasasri Steel Pvt Ltd for setting up 3 lakh million tonnes capacity metallurgical coke and 2.5 mw power plant with Rs 92.35 crore capital deployment, Surana Industries Ltd's integrated steel plant with Rs 562.09 crore investment in Raichur and Today Hotels to build a five star hotel with Rs 93.10 crore investments in the city also secured nod, he said.

When these projects were commissioned it would generate employment to 1.98 lakh persons, he said.