AP CM Naidu seeks Japanese cooperation in skill development, industrial investments
Visakhapatnam, Nov 11 (TNT) : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday sought cooperation from Japanese companies in skill development, industrial investments and critical mineral supplies during a meeting with Japanese Ambassador Keiichi Ono here.
The Chief Minister said the State government was implementing a transparent industrial incentive policy and had introduced an escrow account mechanism to ensure timely disbursement of incentives.
The government was also promoting the Speed of Doing Business initiative to facilitate investments, he said.
Naidu said Andhra Pradesh had a large youth population and stressed the need to provide industry-oriented skill training to transform them into a skilled workforce. He sought the support of Japanese companies in imparting training to youth and employees working in industries across the State.
Responding positively, Japanese representatives expressed their willingness to extend cooperation in skill development programmes.
The discussions also covered the supply of rare earth minerals to Japan and uninterrupted imports of semi-finished steel products from Japanese parent companies for final-stage processing at the ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India plant.
The Chief Minister was also informed that Proterial India planned to manufacture amorphous metal in India for the first time. The material is used in high-capacity transformers.
The company plans to commence production at Sri City in December 2026, taking advantage of the incentives offered by the State government.
The Japanese representatives further informed Naidu that a new Global Capability Centre (GCC) would be established in Visakhapatnam this year through India-Japan cooperation, leveraging the talent of Indian professionals.
In another development, Japan-based JERA has entered into a preliminary agreement with AM Green to procure around 70,000 tonnes of green ammonia annually from Kakinada for five years.
The agreement is expected to contribute to the development of a green ammonia supply chain between India and Japan.
TNT KM
