After US visit, IT Minister Lokesh briefs Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw of AP's tech initiatives Seeks Centre’s backing for AI skill census, startup & innovation hubs, AVGC-XR centres
After his US visit, IT Minister Lokesh briefed Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Andhra Pradesh’s tech initiatives, seeking support for AI skill census, startups, and AVGC-XR hubs.
Lokesh briefs Ashwini Vaishnaw on AP tech initiatives
Andhra Pradesh Minister for Education, IT and Electronics Nara Lokesh, on Monday met Union Minister for Electronics and IT and Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw at Parliament House in New Delhi, following his recently concluded and highly successful visit to the United States.
The meeting came in the backdrop of Lokesh’s high-level engagements with global technology leaders, including Google CEO Sundar Pichai, NVIDIA, Adobe and several other leading American technology companies.
During his US visit,Minister Lokesh showcased Andhra Pradesh as a fast-emerging hub for technology, innovation and advanced manufacturing, drawing strong interest for Global Capability Centres (GCCs), R&D facilities and electronics manufacturing investments in the state.
During the meeting with Vaishnaw, Lokesh briefed on the outcomes of his US outreach and the strong interest shown by American technology majors in expanding their footprint in India.
The discussions focused on opportunities for collaboration in semiconductors, artificial intelligence, electronics manufacturing, digital infrastructure and emerging technologies, with Andhra Pradesh positioned as a key beneficiary.
Lokesh also sought the Centre’s support for rolling out an AI-powered skill census across Andhra Pradesh and explained the pilot project conducted in Mangalagiri and highlighted the introduction of an AI-based interview mechanism to address challenges encountered during the pilot phase.
Vaishnaw responded positively to the request for Central assistance, a State Government release stated. Highlighting Andhra Pradesh’s startup and innovation push, Lokesh urged that the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) Startup Hub extend support to the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub, envisioned as a major platform for young entrepreneurs and aspiring startup founders.
He further sought cooperation for setting up Centres of Excellence under the AVGC-XR and WAVEX frameworks, focusing on InnoXR, animation, AR/VR and immersive technologies. The AP Minister also requested support under the IndiaAI Mission to accelerate the expansion and adoption of artificial intelligence across the state, particularly in governance, education, skilling and industry-driven innovation.
