US delegation outlines plans for American Hub in Vizag

An American delegation led by Consul General Joel Reifman met with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday and informed that the US Government is keen on setting up American Hub in Vishakapatnam, second in the country after Ahmedabad.

During the interaction, the Consul General said they had visited Visakhapatnam and were very satisfied with the facilities there and US government is interested in setting up an American hub in Visakhapatnam.

Ahmedabad being the only other city in the country to have an American hub so far and Vishakapatnam will be the first location in South India, he said. The Chief Minister requested the Consul General to set up an incubator center in Vishakapatnam similar to Delhi and the later responded positively.

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The Chief Minister assured to provide all facilities required to setup incubation center in Vishakapatnam. He welcomed the decision to setup American Hub in Vishakapatnam and asked for US cooperation in developing Vishakapatnam as samrt city.

The Chief Minister said that the Consul General should take the initiative to further enhance mutual cooperation between the US and Andhra Pradesh and they would work together in that direction. Recognising the importance of the English language, it was decided to implement English as medium of instruction in all government schools, he said.

‘Most favourable state’

The Chief Minister affirmed that Andhra Pradesh is the most favorable state for investment as it has a vast coastal area. He also said that there will be great economic development with the construction of ports and the government is laying special attention on manufacturing electronic goods.

The Consul General should take the initiative to invest in the state and the government will provide full assistance, he said. He outlined opportunities for investment in the field of infrastructure and electronic products.

Joel Reifman appreciated the various programmes and welfare schemes being implemented by the state government. He lauded the village and ward secretariat system, taking governance to the village level and door delivering the government schemes through volunteers.

He appreciated the fact that the benefits of all schemes were credited to the beneficiaries' accounts through direct benefit transfer (DBT) without any scope for corruption which reflects the integrity of the government, by taking up social audit.

He praised the state government's performance during the Covid pandemic and in controlling the virus spread.

The delegation included Consulate officials David Moyer and Sean Ruthe.