Japan State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yosuke Takagi on Thursday said Japan would extend a helping hand to build Amaravati into a vibrant city by sharing technology.
Addressing the gathering at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the capital of Amaravati here, Mr. Yosuke Takagi predicted that Andhra Pradesh was poised to be the gateway for the Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean region. “I believe it (AP) has the potential to be the centre of Asia Pacific region,” he said.
Mr. Yosuke Takagi said Japan had learnt from the function that this great land of Amaravati was the seat of learning of Buddhism from the 3{+r}{+d}century BC. “In our textbooks we read that Acharya Nagarjuna visited Amaravati. Standing here at this great place is a matter of pride and honour for me,” he said.
“As a person from Japan I see it as my good fortune to stand on this sacred land which is once again set to become a vibrant centre and a great city,” Mr. Yosuke Takagi said.
“We remember from the World War II how we created a new nation from ashes. All our experiences, technology and good wishes are here with you for the building the city of Amaravati,” he said.
Speaking at the meeting Singapore’s Minister for Trade and Industry S. Iswaran said much work lies ahead and was he looking forward for building a world class capital in Amaravati.
He recalled the visit of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to Singapore, which prepared the master plans in record time. “Much work lay ahead to be done. This could be accomplished under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Chandrababu Naidu in building historic capital Amaravati,” said Mr. Iswaran.
He said the Central government’s efforts in developing 100 smart cities and other cities under the Amrut Mission, beside Swacch Bharat would have a profound impact on the lives of people as the cities would be transformed into livable cities.
There were cheers from the audience when Mr. Iswaran extended Dasara greetings in Telugu.
