NTPC is planning to set up a 4000Mw power plant at Puttaparthi and a 2250 Mw solar power plant in Andhra Pradesh as a part of Chief Minister’s initiative of making the state a solar power hub. This was announced by Mr. Piyush Goyal, Minister of State for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy, Government of India. Mr. Goyal was speaking at the Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) Partnership Summit, organized with the Government of Andhra Pradesh and the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Government of India, in Visakhapatnam. This is the 22nd edition of CII’s flagship annual event, and this year’s theme is ‘Partnership for a Shared and Sustainable World Economy’.
Mr. Goyal observed that the progress of Andhra Pradesh is evident from the fact that this newly formed state could overcome a huge power crisis and become a power surplus state today. Looking at the progress of Andhra Pradesh, he guaranteed investors that this is the state where their money will not only be safe but will also grow manifold.
Speaking on climate change, Mr Goyal said that it is one issue on which the entire world has come together. India’s own commitment for a cleaner environment is reflected in a very ambitious Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) agenda that India has put forward to the world and world leaders have acknowledge it. The fact that India has plans of scaling up its solar power 25 times shows the country’s initiative to create a cleaner and greener world.
The world needs to come together to develop policies and securities to counter terrorism, he said. The Centre will work closely with Andhra Pradesh state government to handle security issues and counter terrorism. Mr Goyal invited investors to look at Andhra Pradesh as a promising destination for investments and added that CII will play a major role in bringing all stakeholders on a common platform.
Mr Chen Mingming, Vice Governor of Guizhou Government, China said that his engagement is not limited to the state of Andhra Pradesh but is focused on India as a whole. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting China, both India and China have stepped into a new era of comprehensive and pragmatic cooperation. Working on the prospects of establishing a BCIM (Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar) economic corridor, the two nations are committed to developing bilateral economic relationships. The signing of an agreement between GIIC and GMR in the manufacturing space is a big step towards mutual focus on manufacturing growth. He noted the support coming from Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for the project at Kakinada. He also invited investors from Andhra Pradesh to invest in Guizhou, a province that has one of the best economic growth rates in China.
Mr Baba Kalyani, Chairman, CII National Committee on Defence and Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Forge Ltd, said that in a situation today where there is a major change happening in the world economy, the key to growth is shared between emerging and developed economies. Hence, global cooperation is essential to establish a balance in the world economy. The 21stcentury saw remarkable progress towards shared and sustainable growth. Replacing G8 with a more participative G20 forum to conduct dialogue for overcoming the global economic crisis and with the WTO being more inclusive and a voice of global trade forum are steps towards building a balanced world economy. The signing of regional and mega regional free trade agreements is transforming the global trading architecture.
Mr Adi Godrej, Past President, CII and Chairman, Godrej Group, stated that in the changing global environment, the emphasis has been on how different economies can collaborate and share responsibilities to overcome global challenges and how to bring different stakeholders like government, NGOs, civil society and private sectors to contribute to the cause.