Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu met with the Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Vikram Doraiswami, in London on Tuesday to discuss ways of boosting trade, education, innovation, and diaspora collaboration between Andhra Pradesh and the UK.
Taking to X, Naidu expressed his delight over the meeting, confirming they discussed strengthening trade relations, education partnerships, innovation, entrepreneurship, and diaspora engagement.
The Chief Minister also held a significant meeting at Buckinghamshire with Ashok Hinduja, Chairman of the Hinduja Group (India), and Prakash Hinduja, Chairman of the group’s European wing. The Hinduja Group announced an investment commitment of ₹20,000 crore in Andhra Pradesh and signed MoUs with the state government.
Furthermore, the group committed to developing the EV charging network across the state. CM Naidu stated that the Hinduja Group’s initiative would help transform Andhra Pradesh into a green energy and Electric mobility hub, assuring them the state government is keen to provide an industry-friendly atmosphere and will set up a special fast-track window to materialise their proposals, which is expected to create a large number of employment opportunities for local youth.
Later, the Chief Minister met with Rolls-Royce Group CTO Nikki Grady-Smith, outlining opportunities available in Andhra Pradesh, specifically mentioning the potential to set up a military airstrip and an aeroplane Maintenance, Repair, and Overhauling (MRO) unit at Orvakal in Kurnool district. He also suggested opportunities for establishing production of aerospace components and asked the group to study the feasibility of setting up a Global Capability Centre (GCC) at Visakhapatnam and Tirupati, and to establish an Aviation ecosystem near Bhogapuram airport.
The group holds expertise in manufacturing Aero engines and diesel propulsion systems. The Chief Minister also met with SRAM and MRAM Group Chairman Sailesh Hiranandani and Samco Holding Limited Chairman Sampath Kumar Mallaya, both of whom expressed interest in setting up a semiconductor production facility and a modern packaging unit.
The Chief Minister highlighted the state's potential for establishing the battery energy storage sector and explained the industry- and business-friendly policies available for investment in the Green Energy, Semiconductor, and Aviation sectors. He met with Chris Fitzgerald, Group Director of International Affairs for Octopus Energy International, and explained the opportunities for investments in the renewable energy sector, clean energy, Smart Grid, and Data analytics in the state.
Finally, in a round table conference, the Chief Minister discussed opportunities in the technology sector with several UK industry figures, including Paul Benton (MD, Association of British Health Tech Industry) and Uday Nagaraju (Founder and CEO, AI policy lab), asking them to help develop an ecosystem to produce experts in AI and other specialised fields.
Also read: Andhra suffers ₹5,265 crore loss due to Cyclone Montha: CM Naidu
Follow us
