Andhra CM leaves for World Economic Forum in Davos

Amaravati, Jan 18 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday left for Davos, Switzerland, to attend the World Economic Forum, and he leads a delegation of ministers and senior officials.

During the four-day visit from January 19 to 22, the Chief Minister is scheduled to participate in 36 engagements, including one-on-one meetings with global CEOs, roundtables, thematic sessions, inter-governmental meetings, plenary sessions, media interactions and a Telugu diaspora programme, a government source told PTI.

Naidu departed Vijayawada Airport at 8:30 pm for New Delhi, and from there he will proceed to Zurich, where he will land on January 19, he said.

Indian Ambassador to Switzerland Mridul Kumar is scheduled to meet the chief minister at a hotel in Zurich, followed by meetings with Eros Innovation chairman and founder Kishore Lulla, Co-founder and Co-president Ridhima Lulla and Co-president Swaneet Singh, said an official press release.

Later, the Chief Minister is scheduled to address a Telugu diaspora programme organised by the Indian Embassy, bringing together Non-Resident Telugu people from 20 countries.

From Zurich, Naidu will travel by road to Davos and, on the first day of the WEF, he will participate in a government-to-government meeting with United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, along with representatives from several countries.

Likewise, he is also scheduled to meet Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Director General Chandrajit Banerjee on the first day of the forum.

On the second day, the chief minister will participate in the CII breakfast session titled 'India at the Centre: The Geography of Growth -- The Andhra Pradesh Advantage' and attend the inauguration of the India Lounge organised by the Government of India, it said.

Naidu will hold one-on-one meetings with IBM chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna, Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian, NVIDIA Vice President Calista Redmond, AP Moller-Maersk CEO Vincent Clerc, JSW Group chairman Sajjan Jindal, Parth Jindal and John Cockerill Group CEO Jean-Luc Maurange, among others.

He is also scheduled to participate in the Energy Transition Leaders' multilateral meeting, the 'One Family ' -- One Entrepreneur' panel discussion at the AP Lounge, and interact with global media outlets.

On the third day, the chief minister will attend multiple WEF sessions at the Congress Centre, including discussions on industrial transformation, artificial intelligence and the global economy, climate finance, regenerative food systems and net-positive growth.

Naidu will deliver a keynote address at Bloomberg's 'Leaders' Circle -- The Trillions of Dollars AI Moment: Transforming the Global Economy' and hold additional meetings with global industry leaders and institutional representatives.

Overall, during the Davos visit, the Chief Minister is scheduled to participate in 36 engagements, including three inter-governmental meetings, 16 one-on-one meetings with global CEOs, nine roundtables and panel discussions, besides plenary sessions and media interactions.

After completing his WEF engagements, Naidu will depart Zurich on January 22 and arrive in Hyderabad on January 23. PTI MS ADB