Naidu pitches AP for Swiss investments
Amaravati: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has stepped up his pitch for big-ticket investments in Andhra Pradesh, urging Indian Ambassador to Switzerland Mridul Kumar to actively facilitate the flow of Swiss investments into the State.
Naidu met the ambassador in Zurich on the first day of his four-day visit to attend the World Economic Forum summit. IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh joined the meeting. The discussion focused on attracting Swiss companies to Andhra Pradesh across high-value sectors.
Mridul Kumar highlighted Switzerland’s strengths in pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, heavy machinery, electronics, rail components, textiles, and advanced research. Naidu responded by outlining Andhra Pradesh’s readiness to usher pharma and medical equipment manufacturing, backed by industrial infrastructure and policy support.
Naidu said the State has rolled out 25 new policies giving thrust to certain industrial areas for accelerating growth. He stressed that Andhra Pradesh is prioritising Artificial Intelligence and quantum technologies. Skill development, he added, remains a core focus area to meet rising global demand for trained talent.
The ambassador pointed out that Andhra Pradesh had drawn investments worth nearly Rs 2 lakh crore following Naidu’s outreach at the previous Davos summit. He cited Liechtenstein’s rapid progress using AI and said a delegation from the European nation would be attending this year’s WEF. Naidu confirmed he would engage with the Liechtenstein delegation during the event.
Minister Nara Lokesh briefed the ambassador on Andhra Pradesh’s large-scale skill development programmes. He sought support in connecting Swiss companies with investment opportunities in the state. Lokesh said Andhra Pradesh is workforce-ready and has made major advances in the drone sector, including platforms with payload capacities of up to 100 kilograms.
Naidu received a warm welcome on arrival at Zurich airport, where members of the Telugu diaspora gathered to greet him. He interacted personally with supporters. Earlier, he also met Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, and World Bank Group president Ajay Banga.
During his Zurich visit, Naidu reiterated his goal to transform Andhra Pradesh into a hub for AI-driven creative industries. He met Kishore Lulla, founder-chairman of Eros Innovations, to discuss investments in Generative AI, deep tech, virtual production, and the digital content economy.
Naidu said the State is encouraging investments in digital media, gaming, animation, film technology, and virtual production to generate large-scale employment for youth. Eros Innovations co-founder and co-president Ridhima Lulla and co-president Swaneet Singh also attended the meeting.
