Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has urged Czech companies to invest in districts beyond Bengaluru, identifying energy, automobile components, electric vehicles, future mobility, aerospace and defence as priority areas for cooperation during a visit by a Czech government and industry delegation.
The delegation, led by Czech Republic Deputy Prime Minister and Industry and Trade Minister Karel Havlicek, met Shivakumar at Vidhana Soudha to discuss investment opportunities and closer business ties between Karnataka and the Czech Republic. The delegation is visiting India from October 11 to 16, including Bengaluru, to identify investment opportunities and strengthen business cooperation, according to a statement issued by the chief minister’s office.
“Karnataka will be a long-term partner of the Czech Republic, and Czech companies should invest in various districts of Karnataka instead of limiting themselves to Bengaluru,” Shivakumar said in the statement. He also highlighted the state’s agriculture, forestry, horticulture and floriculture sectors as potential areas for Czech participation.
Energy was one of the sectors specifically discussed. Shivakumar said Karnataka has some of India’s largest solar power plants and oldest hydroelectric power plants, while also having substantial energy requirements. He invited Czech energy company EPH, or Energeticky a prumyslovy holding, to explore investment opportunities in the state. The company, he said, does not currently have a presence in India.
The deputy chief minister also pointed to opportunities in automobile components, electric vehicles, next-generation vehicles, testing and specialised manufacturing. In the aerospace sector, he referred to a proposed memorandum of understanding between Czech interests and Gopalan Aerospace, expressing hope that the partnership would lead to further cooperation between Karnataka and the Czech Republic.
The state government said it would facilitate investments through Invest Karnataka, Karnataka Udyog Mitra, the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board and its single-window clearance system. Shivakumar said the government’s priority was to attract investments that bring technology, strengthen local industry, create quality employment and support exports.
He also urged the AGROFERT group to consider Karnataka as an investment destination. According to the statement, Shivakumar said Czech expertise in precision engineering, machine tools, automobile components, industrial machinery, transport technologies and applied research aligned with Karnataka’s manufacturing, aerospace, electronics and technology sectors.
The discussions included possible cooperation with companies such as Skoda Auto and Doosan Skoda Power in manufacturing, engineering, sourcing and research. Shivakumar cited the Tata AutoComp–Skoda Group partnership in railway components as an example of how Czech engineering capabilities and Indian manufacturing could be combined, and called for similar partnerships with companies in Karnataka.
The proposed cooperation is not limited to commercial investment. Shivakumar called for partnerships between Czech technical universities and research institutions and Karnataka’s universities and industries to promote applied research, skills development and the commercialisation of new technologies. He referred to the Strategic Partnership on Innovation agreed by India and the Czech Republic in January 2024 as a framework for cooperation in research, emerging technologies, industrial innovation and start-up linkages.
The Czech delegation included Deputy Foreign Minister Marie Chatardova, senior officials from the country’s foreign affairs and industry and trade ministries, Czech diplomatic representatives in India and Jan Rafaj, president of the Confederation of Industry and Transport of the Czech Republic. The chief minister’s office said the visit was intended to identify investment opportunities and strengthen business cooperation; the next step will be follow-up on potential investment proposals and partnerships.
