Telangana extends invite to Obama

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) If Obama accepts the invite he would be the third US President to visit the State capital a rare distinction held only by Hyderabad other than New Delhi.

US President Barack Obama who will be visiting India to participate in the country’s Republic Day celebrations on January 26 next year has been invited by the Telangana government to visit Hyderabad.

The State Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma has written a letter to the US Embassy to this effect and a reply is awaited official sources said.

If Obama accepts the invite he would be the third US President to visit the State capital a rare distinction held only by Hyderabad other than New Delhi. On earlier occasions Bill Clinton had visited Hyderabad in March 2000 during N. Chandrababu Naidu’s regime when the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was in power in undivided Andhra Pradesh and George Bush in March 2006 when the charismatic Congress leader late Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy was in power.

This would be the first visit by a top world leader to Hyderabad after the creation of Telangana State which is now ruled by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).

Besides the chief secretary’s letter to the US Embassy Information Technology and Panchayat Raj Minister K. T. Rama Rao utilised the opportunity to extend the invitation to the US president through a visiting US State Department delegation that called on him at the State Secretariat on Tuesday. He urged the delegation to convey the invitation to President Obama.

The minister speaking to the delegation said: “During earlier US Presidents’ visits Hyderabad was known to be the face of the country’s IT industry. But today Hyderabad is considered to be the face of the country’s globalisation.”

Stating that the government was confident of Obama accepting the invitation KTR as the minister is known said Hyderabad has emerged as a global city with world class facilities and the US President’s visit will help the new Telangana State get more global recognition.

KTR who also briefed the US delegation on the new industrial policy unveiled by Telangana government recently said the administration had come out with an industrial policy which was on par with international standards despite the fact that they had been in power for just six months.

“The new policy envisages single window clearance system that curtails corruption and investors can seek approvals through self-certification a first in the country... I urge you to inform investors in the US about our industrial policy and help the state in attracting new investments” he said.

Incidentally the ‘Traveler’ magazine of National Geographic had recently ranked Hyderabad as the second best place in the world for must see in 2015.

“Stories of Hyderabad’s poetic past weave amid strings of programming code in this South Eastern Indian city that was home to one of the richest men in the world Mir Osman Ali Khan the last ruling Nizam of Hyderabad” the publication said.

It went on to talk about how Hyderabad has now become a seedbed for many global IT brands the opulent Taj Falaknuma Palace Irani cares fifth generation pearl merchants and other attractions. -newskhaleejtimes.com

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