Naidu wants Stanford as Knowledge Partner

Hyderabad, May 10 (INN): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu met Dr. Lloyd B. Minor, MD. Dean of Stanford University School of Medicine today.

Dr. Lloyd in his opening remarks said that they are specialists in precision care and that they want to completely change the very nature of health care to one of personalized care focused on keeping people healthy.

The Chief Minister mentioned that he always admired Stanford for its academic excellence which prompted him to encourage his son to pursue his higher studies here. 'In fact my daughter- in-law is also from here and I claim that I am a member of the Stanford family by association,' said the Chief Minister.

Chandrababu Naidu stated that he always believes that only education will change the future of the society. He mentioned that a number of innovative things are being implemented in Andhra Pradesh and that under his leadership the government was using technology in administration and governance. 'Andhra Pradesh will be a knowledge State and we are determined to achieve this,' the Chief Minister said.

The Chief Minister said that for Andhra Pradesh to grow at 15% every year, we would like to have Stanford as our knowledge partners. Later Mr. Ajay Jain made a presentation on Andhra Pradesh.

Chandrababu Naidu called on the President and COO of Franklin Templeton Jennifer Johnson.

Jennifer mentioned that their journey with India so far has been very comfortable and that they are looking for right opportunities for expanding their operation. "We are in Hyderabad thanks to you Mr. Naidu. We built a huge campus there during your last tenure." she quoted.

She informed the Chief Minister that her colleagues attended the Vishakhapatnam Fintech conference held in month of March. 'It looks very promising for us," she remarked.

Thanking Jennifer for her kind words, the Chief Minister said that his government is giving a big push to Fintech and that it is working towards further improvement of infrastructure and e governance in a big way.

When Jennifer enquired about the availability of high end talent, the Chief Minister said," All over the world for every four IT professionals one is Indian. Out of every four Indians one is from my state indicating that Telugus are the best and brightest from the global talent pool.

The Chief Minister said that Andhra Pradesh will be a knowledge hub with efficient and skilled human resource. He assured that he would provide all facilities such as land, water, power and suggested that Franklin should take the lead by creating a campus so as to empower others to follow. Ms. Jennifer said that they are looking for a good land with a sea view.

Jennifer said she needs to convince her board that high end talent in Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics, processing is available in Vishakhapatnam to which the Chief Minister said that the people of Andhra Pradesh are capable and hardworking and that an ecosystem can be developed in Vishakhapatnam.

She suggested that Andhra Pradesh and Franklin should together create a Fintech development fund and enquired about the availability of cloud infrastructure, high-speed broadband connectivity and also about the efficiency of telecome carriers.

The Chief Minister in his reply said that through the AP state Fiber Grid Project, the government is determined to provide internet connection to every home. He also mentioned that Google X will work with us to make Internet available to remote areas too.

Jennifer indicated that Franklin is ready for expansion and that they will make a decision on the location soon.

'We are not afraid to be first provided we are sure that things happen. I have confidence that you will make it happen given your track record in Hyderabad. I have trust in your leadership,' she stated.