AP CM meets with US delegation

Organic Farming to climb up a notch in AP soon

AP CM is making history: US delegates

The Chief Minister met with a delegation of company representatives from the US. He expressed keen interest in partnering with them, and making Andhra Pradesh a Horticultural Hub, a global destination and a technologically equipped state. 

He will be participating in a Round Table Investment Conference in New Delhi on October 9th, and agreed to be a part of the delegation’s visit to India on November 17th. 

He addressed the delegation and said that he aims to make Amaravati a global city, inclusive of all cultures. He spoke of the achievements and goals of the government of Andhra Pradesh, mentioning Real Time Governance, grievance redressal mechanism, Power Sector reforms and Ease of doing Business. 

The delegation was grateful for his support and appreciated his ambitious attitude to develop the state. “Business are commissioned the fastest in this state, and investors are always confident. You are making history”, they said. 

The representatives were from US India Strategic Partnership Forum, the AP Economic Development Board, Amway, Pfizer, Shire Pharmaceuticals, Pepsico and Veneklasen. 

Organic Farming

Mr. Anshu Budhraja from Amway presented a proposal to set up an organic farming footprint in Andhra Pradesh. Across 300 to 500 acres, they want to practice organic farming, with the help of scientific advancements and traditional methods. Amway, a ₹2,000 crore company in India with around 750 scientists in the country, is the world’s largest company for vitamins and minerals for agriculture. They are interested to cultivate around 10 crops extensively, and also want to provide their own nutrition certification to improve the quality of organic farming practices. 

The Chief Minister said that organic farming is a sector with a large scope in the state, as the climate and soil are suitable for agriculture. He told them that they can start setting up the farms in Kuppam, and can take the help of a dedicated team from the government that is already working towards developing organic farming. “Subhash Palekar is also working as a consultant to the government, and has practiced Zero Budget Natural Farming extensively”, he mentioned, and encouraged the team to proceed with the formalities. 

Pneumonia Vaccination

Sharad Goswami, from Pfizer, proposed to introduce Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) with the support of the state government and UNICEF, for vaccination campaigns to fight pneumonia. He said that the highest cause for infant mortality in the state is pneumonia, and Andhra Pradesh reports the highest pneumonia incidents than any state in South India. 

The Chief Minister approved the campaign, and asked them to start immediately. The team is ready with all the supplies, and a custom-made vaccine for India. The dose, which originally costs ₹4,000 per dose, is given at a low cost of ₹150 per dose. The vaccine is approved by the Government of India, and has also been used in many other countries. 

Diagnostic Centres – Rare Diseases

Under a Public Private Partnership, Shire Pharmaceuticals will tie up with the GoAP to set up diagnostic centres for Hemophilia and rare diseases, in every district. They will also develop the IT infrastructure to create India’s first rare disease registry and analysis of medical data. Dr. Bhaskar Jyoti Sonowal from the firm said that they will also contribute by providing capacity building workshops for doctors from international training facilities. 

The Chief Minister said around 12 services including diagnostic centres, medical equipment providers, sanitation facilities, mobile clinics and others, are working with the government under PPP alliances. He said that Shire will have their support, and they can start working on the MoU. 

Pepsico

Himanshu Priyadarshini said that Pepsico is interested to include organic fruit juices into their carbonated beverages, and indirectly promote horticulture. 

The Chief Minister said that he wants to make the state the Horticultural Hub of the world. He said that the state is already doing extremely well in the field, and he is interested to continue promoting horticultural activities. “I want to triple the income we get from horticulture. Our state already has a high variety of good quality fruits and vegetables. I aim to invest in the logistics sector for the field next”, he said, and encouraged the officials to proceed working on the project. 

Noise Control Centre in Amaravati

Ms. Hemanth Sandhu from Veneklasen presented that inadequate attention is given to the impact of noise and vibration in urban lifestyles and health. “Noise and vibrations can weaken foundations of buildings and is one of the leading causes of cardio vascular problems, dementia and slow cognitive development in children”, she said. 

The Chief Minister said that he wants Amaravati to be built with eco-friendly and pollution-free mechanisms. He approved of the establishment of a Noise Control Centre in Amaravati, making it the first of its kind in the country. This will control the noise levels caused by traffic, metro train movements and others in public spaces.