Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh addressed a meeting of the Karnataka State Ministers and officials in Bangalore today. The Prime Minister said Karnataka is a state of which India is proud and has been a leader and a pace setter in many areas of development and governance - rural development, watershed development, urban development and Panchayati Raj. Dr. Singh said  he hoped it continues to be a pace setter.

The Prime Minister said " Bangalore is the pride of India and is a brand which the world identifies India with. It is the single biggest reason why India is such a hot investment destination." The Prime Minister assured that the central government will ensure and do all it can to see that this brand continues to grow in value to the benefit of the people of Karnataka and India. Dr. Singh said no stone would be left unturned in this regard. 

The Prime Minister said the development of cities is extremely important as there are externalities that benefit both urban and rural areas. He said therefore, we must focus on the development of both urban and Rural infrastructure. The Prime Minister said the central government fully supports the Airport Project and wants to see it come up in time.

The state government made a presentation to the PM on some of the infrastructure projects planned by the state. Regarding the Bangalore Metro project Dr Manmohan Singh said a lot of preparatory work has been done and the state has raised resources and a cess is in place. Terming it  a good effort he said the Government will provide all possible support, out of the infrastructure plans it has to ensure this project takes off.

He said the Mangalore - LNG terminal and power plant will be examined and Either ONGC or ONGC and NTPC or some similar mechanism will be arranged.                            

Dr. Singh said some ideas have been presented on the Urban projects which need greater detail and more financial planning. The center will try to cover these under the Urban Renewal Mission which is about to be launched subject to certain necessary reforms in urban management.

The prime Minister said the Agriculture Ministry is planning  a major initiative in the area of Drip Irrigation and Micro irrigation and Karnataka will be covered.       

The Prime Minister said the government will be giving a major boost this year to the drinking water mission and Karnataka will also benefit. He said a  horticulture mission is being launched and Karnataka being a major horticulture center should be a beneficiary.  Dr Manmohan Singh said the AIBP is being boosted with additional funds.