Five Regional Conferences to Precede CII Partnership Summit

Vijayawada: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to organise five regional conferences in Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Guntur, Anantapur and Tirupati ahead of the CII Partnership Summit-2026.

The focus, he said, should be on attracting investments and promoting entrepreneurship.

Reviewing preparations for the 31st CII summit, scheduled in Visakhapatnam on November 12 and 13, Naidu said on Thursday that the summit should go beyond signing MoUs and help inspire aspiring entrepreneurs while strengthening the Andhra Pradesh brand.

Naidu directed officials to organise an MSME Showcase at each regional conference and introduce a Shark Tank-style platform to connect startups with potential investors.

He also asked officials to link Ratan Tata Innovation Hubs with the conferences and prepare an action plan for laying foundation stones for MSME parks in another 30 constituencies before the summit.

The conferences, he said, should encourage school students to develop startup ideas, while entrepreneurship-related subjects should be introduced from Class 7 onwards.

He also suggested programmes on the lines of ‘Invest Kadapa’ in all districts to attract investments.

Naidu directed departments to convert 80 per cent of investment proposals by the end of October and ensure that 75 per cent of the converted projects are grounded.

Officials said 714 projects involving `22.57 lakh crore had signed MoUs since June 2024.

Of these, 473 projects worth `16.6 lakh crore had been converted and 247 converted projects had been grounded.

The regional conferences are scheduled from October 7 to 26.

Visakhapatnam will focus on AI, data centres, IT, fintech, semiconductors, GCCs, pharma and med-tech.

Kakinada on maritime, shipbuilding, chemicals, green hydrogen, ammonia, aqua exports and food processing.

Guntur on governance, capital development, urban infrastructure, Quantum Valley and emerging technologies.

Anantapur on aerospace, defence, automotive, natural farming, horticulture, food processing and renewable energy.

 Tirupati on tourism, hospitality, electronics, semiconductors, advanced materials, automotive, space and footwear.

Domestic roadshows have been held in Chennai, Coimbatore and Bengaluru, with events in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Mumbai scheduled for September 25, 28 and 30 respectively.

International roadshows have been completed in Singapore and the Republic of Korea and Taiwan, while Sweden, Japan and China are scheduled from September 29 to October 16.

Eleven international ministers, 26 speakers and representatives from 21 countries have confirmed participation. The summit’s theme is ‘Trade, Technology, Trust and Thought Leadership’.

A curtain-raiser for the summit will be held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on October 8. Naidu also directed officials to design the proposed Convention Centre at Kapuluppada in Visakhapatnam for future multipurpose use.