VIJAYAWADA: British Deputy High Commissioner to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Dr Andrew Fleming who concluded his three-day visit to Vijayawada on Thursday said the State has potential for investment in three specific areas: education, health and energy.
In an interaction with mediapersons in the city, he said he and his team visited Vijayawada of 18 months, and the purpose of the visit was to examine if the areas they are been working on or are still relevant and if there are new opportunities and areas that need to be explored.
Referring to a virtual discussion between the prime ministers of both the countries, which resulted in the 2030 Road Map, Fleming said he and his team were here to identify the objectives specific to the State and chalk out a strategy accordingly.
“I met Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and his priorities remain the same as they were two years ago. Our meetings were focused on health and education.
I interacted with South Central Ambulance Services, the technical partner of ‘104’ ambulance service, and the initiative was successful. The State today has an ambulance for every 70,000 people. ,” he said while pointing out that the British Council is already involved in education projects in the State.
Fleming said the CM’s focus on school, improvement ofschool infrastructure under Naadu-Nedu, especially toilets for girls, lack of which is one of the reasons for girls dropping out of the school, is an important element that can be transformational.
The British diplomat was all praise for Vizag, which he felt has all the potential to emerge as the main hub for investment, but was cautious to say, “I think we have to get through this uncertainty of the pandemic and get the clarity of when and if it’s going to be the administrative capital.”
He opined that there should be clarity on the hub of investments in the State so that potential investors can know what the landscape is going to be to make an informed decision. “Vizag has great potential to emerge as an investment destination on a global level as the large area is its advantage. Marketing it as a city with a more prominent role will raise interests.”
Indo-UK relations
Dr Fleming told the media that Visakhapatnam with its cosmopolitan ambience has great potential to emerge as an investment destination
On trade front, he said in both the Telugu States, UK businessman have invested around 50 million pounds, while Indian traders from this region invested 70 million pounds in the UK.