Karnataka’s Minister for Large and Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development, MB Patil said the state remains a , and land availability. Speaking at the India Today Karnataka Summit 2026, he said the government was taking steps to ensure that investment commitments translate into actual projects.
Patil said Karnataka had been selective while evaluating investment proposals and had avoided signing agreements simply to inflate its investment figures. The state, he said, focused on proposals that appeared serious and had a realistic chance of being implemented.
Patil said a significant share of the commitments made during Invest Karnataka was already at different stages, including clearances, planning, land allocation and financial arrangements.
He explained that large industrial projects do not become operational immediately after an agreement is signed. Companies have to secure approvals from government agencies, obtain clearance from their own boards and arrange funding before construction can begin.
He cited companies such as South Korean machine-tool maker DN Solutions and German packaging equipment manufacturer Krones as examples of investors that had moved ahead after signing agreements with Karnataka.
He also referred to investments involving Foxconn and other companies in different parts of the state, saying these projects showed that investment commitments were gradually turning into ground-level activity.
Patil said Karnataka was competing with other states but would not offer incentives that could hurt its finances. Some companies, he said, had sought very large incentives, but the state had refused to enter into such deals.
The government is also looking beyond large projects. Smaller investments that can strengthen Karnataka’s industrial ecosystem are being considered, particularly in specialised sectors such as machine tools and advanced manufacturing.
Bengaluru’s traffic remains a major concern, but Patil said it had not resulted in the state losing investments. He pointed out that traffic is a common problem in major global cities and said Karnataka was working to improve infrastructure.
He said the city’s growth was driven by people coming from across India for jobs, particularly in technology and other industries. The government is therefore working on several infrastructure projects to deal with the pressure created by rapid urban growth.
Patil also highlighted land acquisition as one of the biggest challenges for industrial expansion. Unlike some countries where land can be acquired quickly, projects in India often involve several small landowners, compensation issues and legal disputes.
The Karnataka government, he said, was working to clean up land records and resolve pending issues so that investors do not face delays because of land availability.
He also said the state was exploring built-to-suit facilities to attract more foreign universities and strengthen Karnataka’s position as an education and research hub.