Industry leaders reaffirm confidence in coastal Karnataka’s progress, inclusive spirit

A joint statement by leaders representing various industry bodies said that the recent commentary and social media chatter have cast doubt on the safety and harmony of Mangaluru and Coastal Karnataka.

Industry leaders of coastal region on Thursday, reaffirmed their confidence in the region’s progress and inclusive spirit.

A joint statement by leaders representing various industry bodies said that the recent commentary and social media chatter have cast doubt on the safety and harmony of Mangaluru and Coastal Karnataka. “As representatives of the region’s entrepreneurs, industry groups and civic organisations, we present the facts to the contrary and reaffirm our confidence in the region’s progress and inclusive spirit,” it said.

The joint statement was signed by Natraj Hegde, Chairman of Confederation of Indian Industry, Mangaluru chapter; Gaurav Hegde, Secretary of Coastal Karnataka Tourism Development Council; Vinod AR Pinto, President of CREDAI, Mangaluru; Rohith Bhat, Convener of Silicon Beach Programme; Shyamprasad Hebbar, Vice President of TiE, Mangaluru; and Sharan Shetty, Chapter Chair, Young Indians Mangaluru.

The statement follows recent comments by Minister for Electronics, IT/BT, Priyank Kharge, on the investment climate in coastal Karnataka. Participating in an event in Bengaluru recently, he said that coastal Karnataka could not realise its full economic potential because of communal tensions and religious narratives in the region.

The minister had also called for a conducive and stable environment for investments in coastal Karnataka while posting news report images related to communal violence incidents of 2017 and 2019 on media platform X.

The joint statement by industry leaders said more than 40 new IT companies have established operations in coastal region in the last two years, and the region has added 8,000-plus new IT jobs.