Thousands of Keralites working in IT cos in Bengaluru: Karnataka Minister tells Kerala counterpart, objecting to his offer of water to IT giants in coastal state
Such moves were detrimental to the federal structure of the country, the minister said in a statement. “Many parts of India including Kerala have been reeling under water scarcity due to drought and severe summer. In such a situation, the offer from Kerala's industries minister to the Bengaluru companies to move into his state does not reflect a healthy competitive spirit,” Patil said.
ET had, on March 27, reported about the Kerala Industries department writing to top tier technology companies in Bengaluru to consider the coastal state for expansion. “After we read reports of the water crisis in Bengaluru, we wrote to the IT companies offering them all facilities as well as plenty of water. We have 44 rivers, big and small, in our state, so water is not an issue at all,” Rajeeve had told ET.
As a nation, we are in a federal system where we must have a 'give and take’ approach among the states. No state should attempt to take undue advantage of the situation in another state, Patil said. «Though there has been a water shortage in Bengaluru, it is not precarious in places where IT companies are located. Moreover, the minister should also remember that the companies here have provided jobs to thousands of people from Kerala.”
Kerala, Patil added, has all the liberty to make efforts to attract investments, but should not resort to petty politics.
Karnataka has developed an industry-friendly ecosystem over the years owing to its proactive policies and has been a top-ranked state in IT and export revenues in the
