Venkat Raman
The Telangana government is keen to tap the existing and emerging potential for businesses in New Zealand and will consider appropriate incentives for two-way engagement.
That was a gist of the discussions that IT, Electronics and Communications Minister Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao (popularly known as KTR) held with Labour MP and Parliamentary Private Secretary to Ethnic Communities Minister Priyanca Radhakrishnan in Hyderabad on Wednesday, January 8, 2020.
Ms Radhakrishnan was on an official visit to the Telangana Capital and her meetings with KTR and other ministers and MPs were facilitated by the Telugu Rashtriya Samithi President Kalyan Rao Kasuganti and Immediate Past President Vijay Kosna both based in Auckland.
KTR said that Telangana in general and Hyderabad in particular is IT savvy and that the State government looking for intensified global connectivity, fostered by high calibre IT professionals.
“We are keen to extend our T-Bridge Programme to explore the possibilities of engaging with the New Zealand government and start-up companies and enhance global market opportunities for everyone involved,” he said at the meeting with Ms Radhakrishnan.
About the T-Bridge
T-Bridge is an initiative of KTR to connect India’s start-up ecosystem with the rest of the world. Inaugurating the programme about three years ago at the Uber Headquarters in San Francisco in the US, he had set out the objectives of the Programme, which let to partnerships with Uber, TiE Silicon Valley and iHub, an incubator of the California Governor.
Telangana is the only State in India to launch the T-Bridge initiative.
KTR said that T-Bridge is a logical extension to India’s largest start-up ecosystem enabler, the -Hub.
“T-Bridge aims to connect Indian start-ups with global market opportunities and help bring global start-ups to India. It will enable start-up communities in India and across the world to cross-pollinate ideas, innovate and create channels for knowledge transfer. It will also create a close network of mentors, venture capital, incubators and accelerators that would be advantageous to the Indian start-up ecosystem,” he said.
Other sectors cooperation
KTR sought information on the possibilities of the involvement of Telangana in the agricultural, industrial and education sectors of New Zealand and was keen to explore the possibilities of inviting Kiwi investors to his State.
“Our government has taken up programmes to develop agriculture and irrigation sectors on priority. Vast scope exists for increasing crop production and boosting our agritech and food processing industry. We are also keen to find out how the expertise and technology of New Zealand can be brought to Telangana to further boost production,” he said.
According to the local media, he praised the leadership of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and that Ms Radhakrishnan invited him to visit New Zealand.
“Our government is working closely with the people of Telangana in New Zealand. I regularly attend their events. Telanganites celebrate the State Floral Festival of Bathukamma in a grand manner. We are looking forward to closer working relationship,” she said.
Green India Challenge
The following day (January 9, 2020), Ms Radhakrishnan met Agriculture, Cooperation and Marketing Minister Singireddy Niranjan Reddy and discussed with him issues relating to mutual cooperation in the field of agro-technology and boosting agricultural production.
Mr Reddy apprised Ms Radhakrishnan of the efforts being concerted by his government to proomote farmers and the agricutural sector, including incentives and special programmes being implemented in various parts of the State.
He also mentioned about the ‘Green India Challenge’ initiated by Telangana Rashtra Samithi MP Joginapally Santosh Kumar, a programme that is capturing nationwide attention.
With ‘Hara Hai Tho Bhara Hai’ (Green fields are a feast to the eye) as the slogan, the ‘Green India Challenge’ tags people to plant a sapling and challenging three others to do the same to continue the chain. More than 20 million people across India have thus far participated in the programme.
It is understood that Ms Radhakrishnan accepted the challenge and planted a sapling in Hyderabad and said that she would ‘challenge’ Mount Roskill MP Michael Wood, and Telangana community members Kalyan Rao Kasuganti, Vijay Kosna and Sunita Vijay to do the same.
Photo Caption:
Telangana IT Minister K T Rama Rao with Labour MP Priyanca Radhakrishnan and TRS Party NRI Coordinator Mahesh Bigala at his office in Hyderabad, India on January 8, 2020 (Picture Supplied)
