AP has established itself as a brand at global level: CM Naidu at Davos

Amaravati: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday claimed that Andhra Pradesh did what India as a country could not do by establishing itself as a brand.

"What India as a country could not do, Andhra Pradesh did. Now it has come to a stage where people world over think India means Andhra Pradesh," Chandrababu said, talking about his trip to Davos for the World Economic Forum conference.

Naidu claimed the government delegation successfully promoted "Brand AP" at Davos.

"I have conducted at least 50 bilateral meetings with international agencies. Many big international companies evinced interest in setting up the shop in AP and sharing know-how," he said, without specifying any project proposal.

When pointed out that oil giant Saudi Aramco's proposed oil refinery project along with a consortium did not actually take shape since 2010, the Chief Minister replied there was no one to coordinate with such companies at that time.

"But now we have the right mechanism to coordinate," he said, referring to his meeting with Aramco's CEO.

Asked about a Japanese firm's promise to bring investment of USD 15-20 billion for the development of the temple town of Tirupati, the Chief Minister said a new township would also be developed between Tirupati and Sri City Special Economic Zone.

"It's a big project," he said without giving any details.

The opposition has criticised Chandrababu's Davos trip as a publicity stunt, while "official" videos of CM's discussions with heads of various companies inside the AP Lounge -- unrelated to WEF -- have found their way to the social media and faced ridicule.