Amaravati to get Punggol-style township: Lokesh

1. Minister Nara Lokesh said that an integrated township in Amaravati is being modelled on the lines of Singapore's Punggol district.
2. He said that the state aims to emerge as a global “Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions” destination.
3. He also mentioned that the govt had issued notifications inviting Requests for Proposals (RFPs) from interested partners for the development of the Amaravati Economic Region.
4. He further proposed organizing an Andhra Pradesh-Singapore Joint Commodity Trade Roundtable to identify export opportunities for commodities, including Guntur chillies.

Metro India News | AMARAVATI

Andhra Pradesh Minister for Education, IT and Electronics Nara Lokesh on Monday said the proposed integrated township in Amaravati modelled on Singapore's Punggol district is set to become a model urban development project for the country. Lokesh participated in a meeting with representatives of the Joint Implementation Steering Committee (JISC) under Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry during his visit to Singapore today.

"The proposed integrated township in Amaravati, inspired by Singapore's Punggol model, is envisioned to become a benchmark urban development project for Andhra Pradesh as well as the country," said Lokesh in an official press release. The minister urged the Joint Implementation Working Committee (JIWC) to expedite procedures for the integrated township project while securing support from the World Bank for its implementation.

Lokesh noted that Andhra Pradesh had already issued notifications inviting Requests for Proposals (RFPs) from interested partners for the development of the Amaravati Economic Region. The minister said Andhra Pradesh aims to emerge as a global “Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE)” destination on the lines of Singapore and would study the Suntec City model for establishing similar infrastructure in the state. 

Lokesh further said Andhra Pradesh would continue utilizing Singapore's expertise in strengthening Real Time Governance and assured support for companies willing to invest in the state. He said six Andhra Pradesh Ministers recently attended training sessions in Singapore under the Singapore-Andhra Pradesh Governance Excellence (SAGE) program, while 37 government teachers also completed training programs there. 

The Andhra Pradesh government had signed an MoU with Singapore in November last year covering integrated township development, the Amaravati Economic Region and digital transformation initiatives, including Real Time Governance. Lokesh also met representatives from Commodities Intelligence Centre (CIC) and sought cooperation in trade connectivity for seafood, agriculture, minerals and pharmaceutical sectors along with onboarding Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) exporters onto digital platforms. 

Lokesh also proposed organizing an Andhra Pradesh-Singapore Joint Commodity Trade Roundtable involving exporters, CIC, Enterprise Singapore and SGX to identify export opportunities for commodities, including Guntur chillies. He noted that Andhra Pradesh accounted for 40-45 per cent of India’s chilli exports and is also the country’s largest aquaculture-producing state with strong presence in marine products, minerals and pharmaceuticals. 

Lokesh said efforts were made before the Covid-19 pandemic to facilitate Andhra Pradesh-China chilli trade through CIC and sought support to revive the trade corridor through buyer linkage and financing mechanisms. Representatives from CIC said the organization operates a digital B2B marketplace connecting verified buyers, sellers, logistics providers and financiers globally while offering services such as commodity intelligence, blockchain-based document security and customs clearance.

He noted that the number of hotel rooms in the state is expected to increase four-fold to 20,000 over the next five years and said four convention centers have already been approved in Amaravati. Lokesh further said a world-class MICE centre would be developed in Visakhapatnam along with Andhra Mandapam in partnership with the India Trade Promotion Organization.