Why Chandrababu Naidu is Andhra's greatest salesman
There is no stopping Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu when it comes to selling what his state has to offer.
No wonder, on the fifth day of his hectic week-long US tour, which concluded on May 11, the US-India Business Council (USIBC) presented him the "Transformative Chief Minister" award for his role in advancing the US-India partnership at the state level. CISCO executive chairman John Chambers gave the award to Naidu during the USIBC West Coast Summit in Silicon Valley.
The summit brought together top minds in the industry and the government of India to discuss furthering prospects in the US-India technology partnerships.
Chambers also invited Naidu to his home for a meeting with 30 CEOs because of his personal admiration for Naidu. “This is why I believe in this man so much,” was Chamber’s response on discovering Naidu made a trademark painstaking presentation.
For his part, before and after the summit, while on the tour, Naidu raised his sales pitch by showcasing the potential of his 13 district state which is starved of a metropolitan area. It is a priority and what he is planning for is much more than an urban sprawl — a world class city.
Getting it up and ready is a daunting task and takes far longer than just a five-year term for a chief minister. He is building it virtually from scratch having persuaded farmers to surrender their prized possession under a unique land pooling scheme to build the proposed Amaravati.
Focusing on the capital city, Naidu is inviting prospective investors and companies to set up shop or expand existing facilities in Amaravati and elsewhere in the state.
He has known for long that rave or rhetoric is no substitute for meaningful and impressive presentations and this has, like in the past, worked well for him on the current US tour. He dwelt on how "Sunrise Andhra Pradesh is on transformational journey towards a happy state" and his goal of "promoting inclusive economic growth with happiness."
Naidu is conscious that he has to deliver on his promises if investors are to put their money. In an emotional appeal to Telugu groups, wherever he went, Naidu told them poignantly not to forget their birthplace and their native village. He appealed to them to join as partners in capital construction and development to make Amaravati one of the five best capital cities in the world.
“Building a capital is both a challenge and opportunity for me,” emphasised Naidu. “If you are part of the development plans to continue sustainable growth for 15 years, it will be possible to eliminate poverty in the state.” Not just in Andhra Pradesh, the chief minister hopes that every Telugu household in the US should have a computer literate, an entrepreneur and a Kuchipudi dancer.
He announced a grant of Rs 6 crore to establish the Amaravati School of Linguistics at the Silicon Andhra University. About 50 companies, many of which are information technology services entities, have indicated that they will start their operations in Andhra Pradesh, particularly in Visakhapatnam and Amaravati. Some of these are promoted by Telugu entrepreneurs.
Technology companies, including Apple, Google and Dell, have expressed interest in greater engagement with Andhra Pradesh, according to those travelling with CM Naidu. He entreated them to come forward and create an ecosystem in Andhra Pradesh, as it presents a rare opportunity to build a system from start.
“If you miss the opportunity now, you will miss it forever,” harped Naidu, true to his sales pitch. The next two years will reveal, what and who, including Naidu, are making of it.
(Courtesy of Mail Today.)