It was a poor start to a much-hyped event. The second edition of the Global Investors Meet (GIM) -2012 which kicked off on Wednesday at the Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) did not reflect much of a global investor interest in the state. Most of the 450 stalls at the BIEC belonged to public sector units and nationalised banks and to states like Chattisgarrh, Bihar and Gujarat.
Few foreign investors had bothered to showcase their products except for Italy, Mexico, UK, Canada, Taiwan and Germany. And although the government claimed participation of 41 countries, there was only a sprinkling of foreign delegates, mostly from Uganda and the United Arab Emirates. The expo has 14 pavillions covering sectors such as aerospace,defence, automobiles, electronics and hardware, Infrasructure, energy and environment, healthcare, agrotech, food processing, textile, education, R&D innovation, packaging, chemicals and petrochemicals.
Taking advantage of it are the BBMP and the BDA which are looking for investors for elevated road projects and converting municipl solid waste into power, Bescom, Airport Authority of India, Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited (KREDL), KPTCL, NAL, Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation (KSIC), Karnataka Handloom Corporation, Khadi Gramodyog, Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB), Karnataka State Industrial Investment & Development Corporation Limited (KSIIDC) and others.