Minister KTR hits the ground running – meets industry leaders

Industries, IT, MAUD and NRI Affairs Minister Sri KT Rama Rao’s week-long US trip to attract investments into Telangana State started off with a series of meetings with industry leaders there. Hon’ble Minister arrived in Washington DC on Wednesday and held elaborate discussions with leading industry heads on the first day.

Minister Sri KT Rama Rao had a meeting with Acting Ambassador of India in US - Taranjit Singh Sandhu wherein issues of bilateral interest to USA and India and the role of Ease of Doing Business (EODB) in India were discussed at length. The newly appointed Consul General of US in Hyderabad Ms Katherine B Hadda called on the Minister and apprised of her priorities when she takes charge. The Minister raised the issue of student deportations in US and stressed on the importance of positive association between both the nations.

Bertrand-Marc Allen, President, Boeing International called on Minister Sri Rama Rao and discussed the current status of Boeing’s engagement in the Aerospace city in Hyderabad. The future possible possibilities of collaboration especially in Skills up-gradation and training were discussed.

Hon’ble Minister for Industries Sri KT Rama Rao met a high level team of officials from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). He shared with the team, Telangana Government’s vision and approach to elevate the environmental standards with a best-in-class enabling framework to curb industrial pollution and comply with highest international standards. Among others, the Minister briefed the efforts of the government to relocate industries outside the Outer Ring Road (ORR) in Hyderabad Pharma City with the objective of making Hyderabad greener and less polluted. The USEPA team has agreed to share knowledge and know-how on the guidelines for pharmaceutical manufacturing, industrial pollution standards, technological advancements and innovation in monitoring. The Agency representatives felt that plans for Hyderabad Pharma City are exceeding the standards of EPA in many ways.

Later, Hon’ble Minister addressed leaders from PhRMA - Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a group of US’s leading innovative biopharmaceutical research companies. The meeting was attended by representatives from major companies including Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Alexion, Merck, Amgen, among others.

In addition to highlighting the industrial policy - TSiPASS, the Minister also explained the Telangana Government plans for Hyderabad Pharma City, the Telangana Intellectual Property Crime Unit, Animal Testing Facility in Hyderabad etc.  The companies appreciated Government for its initiatives and stated that the State is indeed very forward looking.

Hon’ble Minister also met the AES Corporation delegation and discussed the possibility of investments in the State in solar power sector. The company has huge presence in Odisha in the same sector. Cleveland Motorcycle Works team led by its CEO Mr Jonathan and colleague Mr Sandeep Butala met Minister Sri KT Rama Rao later in the day. Minster requested them to set up a manufacturing unit in Telangana.

Ram Reddy, Chairman, CommuniClique Inc. met Minister and discussed about the possibility of starting a base in Hyderabad in Telecommunications sector. The company is about to go public and has plans to expand in Asia. The company will be submitting a detailed proposal.

Director, Global Entrepreneurship Program in the US government, Mr. Tom and his colleague Mr. Travis met Sri KT Rama Rao and sought to know more about Hyderabad regarding hosting Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2017. Minister highlighted all the positives Hyderabad offers to host such an event and why it is the best location for such a prestigious event. Minister informed the team that Telangana is keen to host the GES 2017 event, provided Government of India selects Hyderabad as its venue.

-Press note