Rs 3.2 crore subsidy for each job in Gujarat, HD Kumaraswamy raises questions

New Delhi: Union Steel and Industry Minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Friday questioned whether India needed investments from companies like US semiconductor maker Micron Technology, which is setting up a $2.5 billion unit in Gujarat and is taking a subsidy of Rs 3.2 crore for every job it creates in Gujarat. he/she made the statement after identifying the company in a televised live address to party workers in Karnataka.

Asked the officials, how right is it to give so much budget?
Kumaraswamy returned to Bengaluru on Friday after becoming a minister in the Modi government 3.0. he/she said, “The new manufacturing unit will create around 5,000 jobs. For this, we are giving them a subsidy of $2 billion. If you calculate, it is 70% of the company’s total investment.” Kumaraswamy questioned the officials as to how right it is to give such a huge budget. he/she said that on the other hand, there are small industries. For example, there are small industries in Peenya (an industrial area in Bengaluru). How many lakhs of jobs have they created? What benefits have we given them? I am thinking about how to protect the country’s wealth.

‘We will focus on providing employment to the youth’
Thanking PM Modi for entrusting him/her with the Ministry of Steel and Heavy Industries, Kumaraswamy said that he/she will focus on creating employment opportunities for the youth of the country. he/she said that I can facilitate job opportunities even outside the state. For this you have to be ready to go to another state. The former Karnataka Chief Minister, who has become a Union Minister for the first time, said that he/she would need about 15 days to understand the system.

Congress targeted for guarantee schemes
Kumaraswamy criticised the Congress’ guarantee schemes in Karnataka, saying he/she believed in promoting self-reliance by providing employment rather than making people dependent on freebies. Comparing his/her party’s bad relations with the Congress and the new alliance with the BJP, Kumaraswamy said PM Modi gave him/her and the JD(S) respect while the Congress mistreated them. “The Congress also tried to finish us politically,” he/she said.

Reaffirming his/her commitment to the BJP-led NDA, he/she urged the people of the state to give the JD(S) an opportunity to rule freely. Kumaraswamy also urged the state’s Congress government to cooperate with him/her for the benefit of Karnataka. “Let us put politics and our differences aside. I am ready to cooperate with you and contribute to the well-being of the state,” he/she said.