Amaravati, May 11 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Minister for Education, IT and Electronics Nara Lokesh on Monday said the proposed integrated township in Amaravati modelled on Singapore's Punggol district is set to become a model urban development project for the country.

Lokesh participated in a meeting with representatives of the Joint Implementation Steering Committee (JISC) under Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry during his visit to Singapore today.

"The proposed integrated township in Amaravati, inspired by Singapore's Punggol model, is envisioned to become a benchmark urban development project for Andhra Pradesh as well as the country," said Lokesh in an official press release.

According to him, the state government aims to develop the Amaravati Economic Region in the best possible manner with Singapore's support, and Amaravati now has national legal validity as the state capital, which will further boost investor confidence in the region.

The minister urged the Joint Implementation Working Committee (JIWC) to expedite procedures for the integrated township project while securing support from the World Bank for its implementation.

Lokesh noted that Andhra Pradesh had already issued notifications inviting Requests for Proposals (RFPs) from interested partners for the development of the Amaravati Economic Region.

He asked the Singapore side to explore opportunities to facilitate trade access between Andhra Pradesh and Southeast Asian and East Asian countries through Singapore.

The minister said Andhra Pradesh aims to emerge as a global Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) destination on the lines of Singapore and would study the Suntec City model for establishing similar infrastructure in the state.

Lokesh further said Andhra Pradesh would continue utilising Singapore's expertise in strengthening Real Time Governance and assured support for companies willing to invest in the state.

Consultations on the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Andhra Pradesh and Singapore are being conducted every month through working groups, said the press release.

He said six Andhra Pradesh Ministers recently attended training sessions in Singapore under the Singapore-Andhra Pradesh Governance Excellence (SAGE) programme, while 37 government teachers also completed training programmes there.

The Andhra Pradesh government had signed an MoU with Singapore in November last year covering integrated township development, the Amaravati Economic Region and digital transformation initiatives, including Real Time Governance.

Lokesh also met representatives from Commodities Intelligence Centre (CIC) and sought cooperation in trade connectivity for seafood, agriculture, minerals and pharmaceutical sectors along with onboarding Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) exporters onto digital platforms.

“Andhra Pradesh is currently focusing on port-led industrialisation with the objective of exporting products globally. CIC platform capabilities can help the state emerge as a digitally integrated trade and logistics hub connected with Asian and global commodity markets,” said Lokesh.

The minister requested the launch of a pilot digital trade corridor between Singapore and Visakhapatnam or Krishnapatnam ports using CIC’s blockchain platform to facilitate paperless trade processes and cargo transparency.

Lokesh also proposed organising an Andhra Pradesh-Singapore Joint Commodity Trade Roundtable involving exporters, CIC, Enterprise Singapore and SGX to identify export opportunities for commodities, including Guntur chillies.

He noted that Andhra Pradesh accounted for 40-45 per cent of India’s chilli exports and is also the country’s largest aquaculture-producing state with strong presence in marine products, minerals and pharmaceuticals.

Lokesh said efforts were made before the Covid-19 pandemic to facilitate Andhra Pradesh-China chilli trade through CIC and sought support to revive the trade corridor through buyer linkage and financing mechanisms.

Representatives from CIC said the organisation operates a digital B2B marketplace connecting verified buyers, sellers, logistics providers and financiers globally while offering services such as commodity intelligence, blockchain-based document security and customs clearance.

Lokesh also visited Singapore’s Suntec City and met DP Urban Architect Director Anandan Karunakaran to study Singapore’s MICE ecosystem and urban event infrastructure.

The minister said Andhra Pradesh is formulating a dedicated MICE policy and establishing special bureaus in Visakhapatnam, Amaravati and Tirupati to provide single-window approvals for international event organisers.

He noted that the number of hotel rooms in the state is expected to increase four-fold to 20,000 over the next five years and said four convention centres have already been approved in Amaravati.

Lokesh further said a world-class MICE centre would be developed in Visakhapatnam along with Andhra Mandapam in partnership with the India Trade Promotion Organisation.

Karunakaran said Singapore is planning another major MICE hub in addition to existing venues such as Suntec City and Marina Bay Sands while focusing extensively on sustainability certification in the tourism and events sector. PTI MS STH ROH