Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government is planning to develop an integrated township in Amaravati along the lines of Singapore's Punggol district, as announced by IT and Human Resource Development Minister Nara Lokesh on Monday. Once a rural fishing village, Punggol has transformed into a digital technology hub featuring modern eco-friendly waterfront residences.
Smart Township Model
Addressing a meeting of the Joint Implementation Steering Committee (JISC) in Singapore, Lokesh stated that the proposed township in Amaravati would serve as a model for urban development in the state and across the country. Punggol is renowned as Singapore's first 'smart district', and Amaravati aims to replicate its success. A delegation led by Lokesh met with JISC representatives under Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry as part of ongoing cooperation between the two governments.
Lokesh revealed that Andhra Pradesh has already issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to invite partners for the development of the Amaravati Economic Region. He added that the capital city has received national legal recognition, which boosts investor confidence and facilitates investments.
Global MICE Hub Plans
The state is keen to develop the Amaravati Economic Region with Singapore's support and is exploring trade opportunities linking Andhra Pradesh with Southeast and East Asia through Singapore. Lokesh emphasized that Andhra Pradesh aims to emerge as a global destination for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE), drawing inspiration from Singapore's Suntec City model. A new MICE policy is being drafted, and dedicated bureaus will be established in Visakhapatnam, Amaravati, and Tirupati to provide single-window clearances for international events.
The minister noted that the state expects hotel room capacity to increase fourfold to 20,000 over the next five years, with national and international hospitality firms entering Amaravati. Approvals have been granted for four convention centers in the capital, and a world-class MICE facility, Andhra Pradesh Mandapam, is being planned in Visakhapatnam in partnership with the India Trade Promotion Organisation. Lokesh also sought Singapore's expertise to support digital transformation and real-time governance initiatives in the state.
Port-Based Trade Corridor
Lokesh met with Gloria Wu, CEO of Singapore Commodities Intelligence Centre (CIC), and sought cooperation in trade linkages across seafood, agriculture, minerals, and pharmaceuticals. He also proposed integrating MSME exporters and sharing commodity intelligence. A pilot digital trade corridor between Singapore and Visakhapatnam or Krishnapatnam ports was suggested, using CIC's blockchain platform to enable paperless trade and cargo transparency. Additionally, Lokesh proposed hosting an Andhra Pradesh-Singapore joint commodity trade roundtable involving exporters, CIC, Enterprise Singapore, and SGX.
Highlighting that Andhra Pradesh is the country's largest aquaculture producer and contributes 40-45% of India's chilli exports, with a strong presence in marine products, minerals, and pharmaceuticals, Lokesh said the state is focusing on port-led industrialization to boost exports. He sought CIC's support to revive chilli exports through aggregation, grading, and quality standardization involving farmer-producer organizations. CIC will facilitate buyer linkages and trade finance. Lokesh proposed launching a chilli pilot project and activating CIC's buyer networks, including those in China.
Gloria Wu stated that CIC connects verified buyers, sellers, logistics providers, and financiers through a digital B2B marketplace, offering commodity intelligence, demand forecasting, price monitoring, blockchain-based documentation, customs clearance, and traceability. She added that CIC supports supply-chain finance and MSME exporters and will examine Andhra Pradesh's proposals.
