Satya Nadella's visit: AP, T vie to roll out red carpet

HYDERABAD: At a time when both the governments of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are competing with each other to attract investments to their respective states, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is expected to visit Hyderabad next month.

He would be having separate meetings with Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu during his stay in Hyderabad. Both governments are going all out to woo Nadella in order to propel IT growth in their states.

'Satya Nadella will visit Hyderabad in August. But, the exact dates are not yet finalised,' informed government sources.

While Telangana government is keenly awaiting the visit of Satya to discuss the possibility of expanding IT industry in the city, AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is keen on seeking the Microsoft CEO's cooperation in developing the IT sector in AP.

Microsoft has plans to expand its activities in Hyderabad. The visit of Satya Nadella will help the government in this regard, officials said. Satya Nadella's discussions with Telangana government will be a major boost to the IT sector in Hyderabad and it will be a major achievement for Telangana government. Satya Nadella's family hails from Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh. Satya studied at the Hyderabad Public School (HPS).

In what could be termed as a prelude to Satya's visit, the Microsoft (India) chairman Bhaskar Pramanik is coming to Hyderabad on Monday. Telangana IT Minister KT Rama Rao will have discussions with Bhaskar.

'I will discuss with Bhaskar. But, there are no specific items on the agenda,' said IT Minister Rama Rao.

Sources, however, said both Bhaskar and Rama Rao will discuss the expansion plans of Microsoft in Hyderabad. It may be noted here that software exports from Telangana are pegged at Rs 57,000 cr during 2013-14.

Hyderabad is the operational hub for over 1,200 IT companies, employing over 3.5 lakh. The city is home to almost all the top 500 IT companies. The city has a very special relation with Microsoft.

When Satya was made CEO of Microsoft, the then IT Minister of AP Ponnala Laxmaiah extended an official invitation to him to visit the State. Laxmaiah wrote a letter to him in February. But, the CEO could not visit the city. The government too could not make further attempts due to elections and political uncertainty.

Recently, AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu too extended an invitation to Satya Nadella to visit AP. It is learnt that Naidu had extended invitation to Satya for his swearing-in ceremony as AP Chief Minister. But, Satya could not visit due to other engagements.

It may be recalled that Naidu invited Bill Gates to Hyderabad and saw that Microsoft has set up its centre in Hyderabad. Sources in AP government said Naidu has already invited Nadella for an audience with him during the latter's visit to Hyderabad in August.