Continuing his strong pitch for investments in the new State, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has favoured strong partnership with the Chelyabinsk province in Russia reputed for housing heavy industries.
The Chief Minister, who called on the Governor of the Chelyabinsk province, Boris Dubrovski, stressed the need for the two sides to work together in key areas of industrial development.
Working group
The meeting resolved to set up a working group with five members from each side to explore the areas where the two sides could enter into a mutually beneficial cooperation. The Governor also agreed to send an official delegation before March next to study the opportunities in the State.
Mr. Naidu had a hectic schedule on Tuesday, the fourth day of his visit to Russia, meeting industry leaders from various sectors. His meeting with the Governor was followed by a meeting with Bocharo Oleg, head of the Department of Science, Industrial Policy and Entrepreneurship of Moscow city.
Mr. Oleg told the Chief Minister about their technological innovation that could be helpful in building the new capital, Amaravati.
The department had a clear mandate from the government to venture into building of smart cities and an amount close to 25 billion Euros had been set aside for the purpose. He explained about the start-up culture that was picking up fast and invited the Chief Minister to attend the meeting of technoparks from across the world scheduled to be held in Moscow in September this year.
Mr. Naidu later met Yan V. Tsenter, member of the management board and first vice-president of Gazprombank, specialising in finance, petrochemicals, and heavy industry, which was keen on venturing into the Indian market.
‘Make in India’ programme
The Gazprombank team was explained about the salient features of the ‘Make in India’ programme, and the Chief Minister said this was the right time to invest in the State. The Chief Minister later called on Sverdlovsk Governor Evgency Kuivashev and evinced his keenness in establishing a Russian-Indian cluster.
Mr. Evgency Kuivashev said that there was a need for evolving a proper mechanism for interaction between the two sides and assured that he would send a team to Andhra Pradesh for studying the opportunities available there. He was keen on the scope of setting up joint ventures either with the government-owned companies or with private enterprises.
Steel major’s expectations
The representatives of steel manufacturing major NLMK Group, which was keen on investing close to $1 billion, told the Chief Minister that they were looking for facilities like uninterrupted power supply, gas, water, and land for setting up their venture.
The Chief Minister directed the State Economic Development Board officials to coordinate with the Russian entity.
Mr. Naidu also called on the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Bashkortostan Dmitry Sharonov, who stressed the need for pooling the energies of the two sides in creating a mutually-beneficial relationship.
The Deputy Prime Minister told Mr. Naidu that the republic had one of the best oil processing technologies, which ensured reduction in cost by at least 40 per cent.
