(L-R) Rajan Natarajan, Elisha Pulivarti, M. B. Patil, Marc Elrich, S. Selvakumar, Gunjan Saxena
A state delegation from the State of Karnataka in India, led by the minister for large and medium
industries and infrastructure development M. B. Patil, visited Montgomery County in Maryland. US India
SME Council hosted a small intimate ceremony bringing the Karnataka delegation, the county leadership, and local business leaders together. It was held in the Greencourt Innovation Center in North Bethesda.
Elisha Pulivarti, CEO of the US-India SME Council, opened the evening by welcoming the delegation. He
elaborated on the importance of small and medium businesses and how close US-India ties benefit
SMEs. He also introduced Marc Elrich, the Montgomery County Executive.
Marc highlighted salient points of Montgomery County and invited closer collaboration with Karnataka
that leads to mutually beneficial growth. He invited Karnataka to invest in Montgomery County and
encouraged local businesses to partner with Karnataka. He also spoke about the rich talent pool of
Montgomery County.
Minister M. B. Patil was felicitated by the US-India SME Council. He thanked the County and business leaders for their hospitality and interaction. He projected the friendly and welcoming nature of Karnataka. Mild-natured and well-mannered, he quickly gained the attention of the room. He touted recent investments in Karnataka from big international organizations and a thriving ecosystem of SMEs. His team members included Principal Secretary of Commerce and Industries Department S. Selvakumar, Commissioner of Commerce and Industries Department Gunjan Saxena, his PA Narendra Santhehaklu, Deputy Director of Invest Karnataka Forum Ravindra Hosanahalli, and knowledge partners Anshul Gupta and Jahanavi Bansal.
Commissioner Gunjan Saxena led the presentation about the Invest Karnataka Forum. She emphasized that Karnataka is the first in the India Innovation Index, in a number of R & D centers and in service exports.
Karnataka also leads in electronic designs, electric vehicle innovation, machine tools, aerospace and
defense, biotech, software exports, and renewable energy. She touted Karnataka as a credible
alternative to China. With 52 universities, 234 engineering colleges, and 1777 trade schools Karnataka
has rich resources of highly skilled talent, according to her presentation. She concluded her presentation by showing rich heritage and culture of Karnataka.
About thirty local business leaders were present. They all introduced themselves to the delegation. After all the formal presentations Karnataka delegation, the county leadership, and business leaders mingled with one another, while enjoying a traditional Karnataka dinner prepared by Jewel of India.
