The AP CM interacted with technology entrepreneurs and Indian CEOs in a meeting at San Francisco on the third day of his visit to the USA.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu interacted with technology entrepreneurs and Indian CEOs in a meeting organized by KPMG at San Francisco on the third day of his visit to the United States of America.
The who's who of Indian businessmen and tech leaders were present in the meeting chaired by Arun Kumar, who was with the Obama Administration for three years. He is known to be very influential in American business circles and administration corridors.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said that he felt privileged to be amongst the brightest Indians of Silicon Valley, which he termed a cradle of innovation. He told the gathering that he was neither a technocrat nor a scientist, but still understood how technology could impact the people's lives.
The CM also emphasized that bringing prosperity to the Telugus living in USA was always on his mind. "In my last tenure, I came here and met the technocrats and persuaded them to come to Hyderabad, and the results are there for everyone to see," he said.
Of the Indians doing well all over the world, most happened to be Telugus, the Chief Minister added.
Naidu told the gathering that India's inherent strengths and demographic dividend, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's strong and purposeful leadership together made it a great market. And Andhra Pradesh, which was strategically located with abundant natural resources and a long coastline, would be a logistics hub in India, he added. The state was progressing with clear goals and defined objectives, and aimed to be among India's top three performing states by 2022, its best state by 2029 and eventually a global investment destination by 2050, he said.
Sharing his ambitious plans for Amaravathi, the Chief Minister said that he perceived the building of the capital as both a challenge and an opportunity. He said that though he was handicapped by a paucity of funds, his determination and the people's support kept him going.
"I gave a call and people came forward and gave 33,000 acres of land for Amaravathi. This proves the faith the people of Andhra Pradesh have in me and the goodwill our government has generated in them," he said.
Amaravathi would be one of the five best cities in the world, and a completely green, blue, eco-friendly and livable metropolis, he promised.
He entreated the entrepreneurs to come forward and create an ecosystem in Andhra Pradesh, as it presented a rare opportunity for one to build a system from scratch. "If you miss the opportunity now, you will miss it forever," the Chief Minister said, and urged all Telugus to stay connected with their motherland by being involved in the development of the state.