INDUSTRIAL DESTABILISATION IN KARNATAKA AFTER 1991: Public-Sector Distress, Strategic Resilience and the Bangalore Cluster
About this ebook
What happened to Karnataka’s industrial foundations after India’s economic liberalisation in 1991?
Industrial Destabilisation in Karnataka examines the transformation of the state’s industrial landscape, focusing on the decline and restructuring of public-sector enterprises and small and medium manufacturing industries. Through case studies of ITI, HMT, NGEF, Mysore Lamp Works, Bengal Lamps, and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the book explores the changing fortunes of important industrial enterprises during the period 1980–2019.
Karnataka, particularly Bengaluru, developed a substantial industrial base spanning electronics, machine tools, electrical equipment, engineering, and manufacturing. The economic reforms introduced in 1991 changed the environment in which public-sector undertakings (PSUs), industrial estates, and small and medium enterprises operated. This book examines industrial change in that context and considers what the experiences of these enterprises reveal about the challenges facing Indian manufacturing.
What this book explores Karnataka industrial history: The evolution of the state’s manufacturing sector from 1980 to 2019.
India’s 1991 economic liberalisation: Its relationship to public-sector restructuring and industrial change.
Public-sector undertakings (PSUs): Case studies of major enterprises, including ITI, HMT, NGEF, and HAL.
Small and medium manufacturing industries: The challenges confronting established industrial businesses.
Bengaluru industrial estates: The wider industrial context represented by Peenya Industrial Area and Rajajinagar Industrial Estate.
Industrial policy and economic development: Questions about manufacturing competitiveness, employment, technological capabilities, and the future of domestic industry.
Who should read this book? This book will interest readers researching Karnataka economic history, Indian industrial development, public-sector enterprises, manufacturing policy, economic liberalisation, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), industrial restructuring, and the development of Bengaluru as an industrial and technological centre.
For students, researchers, policymakers, engineers, and readers interested in the history of Indian industry, the case studies provide a starting point for examining the long-term consequences of economic and institutional change.
Explore the industrial history of Karnataka and the changing fortunes of the enterprises that helped shape its manufacturing economy.
Key words: Industrial history of Karnataka
Karnataka industrial development
Indian economic liberalisation 1991
Public sector industries in India
Decline of public sector undertakings
Bengaluru manufacturing industry
ITI HMT NGEF history
Mysore Lamp Works
HAL industrial history
Small and medium enterprises India
Indian manufacturing sector
Karnataka economic history
Industrial policy India
Peenya Industrial Area
Rajajinagar Industrial Estate
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About the author
Rahul Basu is an Emeritus Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, and is based in Bengaluru, India. His academic interests span engineering, applied mathematics, computational modelling, technology, and industrial development. Through his writing, he examines technical and economic questions relevant to India’s industrial and technological progress.
