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Chandrababu Naidu, KCR woo Hero MotoCorp to rev up investments

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Japan to invest in Andhra Pradesh

HYDERABAD: In his maiden visit to the Far East after taking over as chief minister , Chandrababu Naidu will don the role of chief executive officer of Andhra Pradesh in clinching business deals and attracting investors to the state.There is nothing new in this. Even during his last tenure Naidu played the role of a CEO but what is new is that he has hired leading consultant PricewaterhouseCoopers Pvt Ltd (PwC) to sell ‘Brand Andhra Pradesh’ to the governments and investors in China, Japan and South Korea when he visits these countries in November-December.Hired at a cost of Rs 47 lakh, excluding applicable service taxes, PwC will in its capacity as Content Developer and Investment Facilitator prepare the ground for the CM’s visit, fix the appointments and sell the state in order to mop up investments. As per the GO issued on Saturday, PwC will bring out an attractive investment booklet for the AP government and prepare an infrastructure opportunities profile of the state. “The Knowledge Consultant Provider will also extend all support for the delegation planning. PwC team members will also accompany the Naidu’s delegation comprising ministers, state government officials and representatives of the industry from the state,” sources in the Naidu government told STOI.Naidu, who has prepared a massive plan to bring in investments to his proposed industrial hubs and corridors, wants to conduct negotiations with the government and corporate bosses in these countries not like a chief minister of a small state in India but like head of a global corporate brand. “Naidu does not want to depend wholly on bureaucrats, who are known for quoting rules and introducing impediments. The Far East visit is on a business mission, not a diplomatic one which is why Naidu wants to project himself as a corporate personality rather than the political head of a south Indian province,” remarked sources in the government.A PwC team will shortly be placed at the disposal of the Chief Minister’s Office, the sources added. Given the success of his business delegation to Naya Raipur in Chhattisgarh last month, officials here are hopeful that Naidu’s visit will be fruitful.Naidu during his first tenure had successfully sold Hyderabad and secured investments from top IT companies like Microsoft that gave a new meaning to the erstwhile Nizam’s city and created a new image. In fact he was the first chief minister to take advantage of liberalization in the 1990s. Other chief ministers – including now Prime Minister Narendra Modi followed in the footsteps of Naidu.