Bangalore: Projects worth Rs 6,229 crore have been given approval during the last six months in Karnataka, Minister for Large and Medium Industries R V Deshpande said on October 9.

Speaking to reporters in Bangalore, he said 20 projects costing Rs 5018.03 crore were given the green signal by the High Level Committee during April and July and 59 others since then.

Twenty projects would generate employment for 85,774 persons and 59 others for 27,544 people, he said.

Projects cleared included a Rs 2060 crore "Telecom and Knowledge Special Economic Zone" (SEZ) of Global Telecom City Developers and Prudential Housing and Infrastructure Development Ltd's IT infrastructure development involving Rs 379.50 crore.

TVS Motor Company's unit for manufacture of two, three and four wheelers (Rs 500 crore) and Primal Projects Pvt Ltd's Software Technology Park (Rs 344.25 crore) have received approval, among others, he said.

Deshpande said the state government has written to Ratan Tata of the Tata Group to set up their project in Karnataka for their reported new plans to make Rs one-lakh-car.

Tata had however informed in his letter to Chief Minister S M Krishna and himself, that "the car has not been fully conceived" and "we will see and discuss further".

He said Volkeswagon officials had met with the government recently as part of their plans to set up a unit and added that they had asked for "some information and we have given it to them". "We are yet to hear from them", he said, adding that the company was also looking at Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Delhi.

Deshpande said the state government was expecting by this month end Presidential assent to Industrial Facilitation Bill passed by both Houses of Karnataka legislature.

The Bill, among others, states that if an application by an entrepreneur was not cleared within 35 days, it is deemed to have been cleared.

Similarly, the government was expecting Presidential approval for another Bill providing for Special Economic Zone in coastal areas, he said.

PTI