Overview

• Priyank Kharge, Karnataka’s minister for RDPR, IT and BT, arrived in Bengaluru on June 19 after being denied approval for official conventions in Boston and San Francisco.
• His US itinerary was set to include the Bio International Convention in Boston and the Design Automation Conference in San Francisco to draw investment and boost employment.
• The state delegation’s trip was initially blocked on May 15, later cleared on June 11 following Kharge’s removal from the list, while his individual clearance was rejected on June 4.
• Kharge accused the Centre of undermining Karnataka’s economic rise, highlighting the state’s emergence as an electronics and aerospace hub via a Rs20,000 crore semiconductor project.
• On a prior US visit, he secured investment agreements worth Rs35,000 to Rs40,000 crore through the Invest Karnataka event, underscoring the mission’s potential impact.