Telangana plans AI City, new industrial policy

Hyderabad, Feb 8 (IANS) The Revanth Reddy Government of Telangana will develop an Artificial Intelligence (AI) City in Hyderabad and will bring a new policy to promote industries and services sectors in the state.

The Revanth Reddy Government would also make the internet a basic right.

The focus will not just be on creating digital infrastructure but also making it accessible and affordable to all sections of society.

These announcements were made by Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan in her address to the joint session of the Legislative Assembly and Council on the first day of the Budget Session.

Stating that the state government was determined to harness the power of new technology, particularly AI, she said it will position Hyderabad and Telangana as the AI capital of the country by inviting the top global and national technology companies to set up their AI centres.

“We will set up a dedicated AI City in 50-100 acres,” she said.

Observing that the state’s massive potential for propelling industrial and service sector growth was only partly tapped, the Governor said the government intends to bring a completely new paradigm to supporting these two vital sectors.

The Telangana Government intends to introduce a new policy that will be based on a thorough study of existing ground realities, feedback from stakeholders, and taking cognisance of global best practices.

Telangana will strive to become a role-model state where new and existing investors face no hurdles not only at the time of entry but also during their continuing operations and future expansions, she said.

She stated that the government will also announce a new policy to help Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) with improved technology, the ability to recruit skilled manpower, financing, market access, and the prevention of industrial sickness.

An exclusive institutional mechanism will be set up to handhold MSMEs and support their grievances. Assuring continued support to ‘champion sectors’ like IT and Pharma, she said the government is proposing to set up 10-12 Pharma village clusters, each spread over an area of 1000 to 3000 acres.

She noted that global investors announced over Rs.40,000 crore investments in Telangana at the recent World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, where the Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Industries Minister led a delegation.

The government will also implement a thorough digital literacy program to ensure that every household, regardless of its economic status or location, will be able to benefit from the rapid digital adoption of opportunities that are arising.

The government will lay special emphasis to sectors that have been underutilised as compared to their potential, like leather and footwear, gems and jewellery, chemicals and plastic, engineering goods, FMCG products, high-value food processing, Electric Mobility, and storage and ensure that dedicated industrial parks and supporting ecosystems are created for each.

According to a top priority to skill training and vocational education to address skill gaps and meet the requirements of Industry 4.0, the government will transform all government ITIs in the state into Advanced Technology Centres, with an estimated cost of about Rs. 2,000 crore.

These centres will offer NCVT-approved long-term and short-term courses in high demand trades and will benefit nearly one lakh youth in Telangana.

Skill universities will be established across the state to prepare a skilled and empowered workforce. These skill universities will serve as centres of excellence, equipping our youth with the necessary knowledge and expertise to meet the demands of a rapidly-evolving job market.

To increase the energy share from clean energy, the government will come up with a comprehensive energy policy to promote all types of green energy like solar, wind, hybrid (solar and wind), as well as storage (pumped or battery) to meet peak requirements.