IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh said the integrated township proposed to be built in Amaravati, similar to Singapore’s Punggol district, would serve as a benchmark not only for urban areas in Andhra Pradesh (AP) but also for all of India.

Participating in a meeting of the Joint Implementation Working Committee (JIWC) formed by the AP and Singapore governments in Singapore on Monday (May 11, 2026), Mr. Lokesh requested that the project be expedited and necessary support sought from the World Bank.

He said the Andhra Pradesh government was expecting support from the Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry for developing the Amaravati Economic Region (AER) to global standards.

Mr. Lokesh said the State government had already issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Amaravati integrated township project. With the statutory backing for the capital, renewed efforts were being made to develop it comprehensively.

The minister further suggested that opportunities to boost trade between Southeast Asia and East Asia be explored, and said Andhra Pradesh wished to become a Global MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) destination.

For this, the State government planned to study Singapore’s Suntec City model, and assured a business-friendly environment for companies already invested in or looking to enter AP.

Mr. Lokesh said six AP ministers recently attended a week-long training programme under the Singapore-AP Governance Excellence (SAGE) initiative and their learnings and experiences would be used to improve citizen services.

The governments of AP and Singapore signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in November 2025 focused on developing the Amaravati integrated model township, the AER, and digital transformation and real-time governance.

Singapore Minister of State for Trade, Industry and Education Gan Siow Huang; Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) senior director Francis Chong; Singapore Cooperation Enterprise deputy CEO Tay Lian Chew; Indian High Commissioner Shilpak Ambule; and senior IAS officers D. Surendra, Anantha Sankar, Peeyush Kumar and Katamaneni Bhaskar were present.