Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], January 21 : The Government of Madhya Pradesh on held a series of meetings with international and corporate delegations to explore collaboration opportunities across tourism, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals and artificial intelligence, officials said.
The state government met a delegation from the Maldives to discuss potential cooperation in tourism on Tuesday, zoo development and other related areas. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav spoke about the need to leverage common areas of interest, such as medical tourism, fisheries, education, wildlife, health, and cultural opportunities.
The Maldivian delegation, led by Mohamed Saeed, Minister of Economic Development and Trade, highlighted the importance of leveraging opportunities to attract tourism, describing it as a common binding factor between the two regions. Both sides acknowledged the need for further interaction, visits and engagement to explore shared paths to growth.
In another meeting, the Government of Madhya Pradesh interacted with Sumant Sinha, Chief Executive Officer of ReNew Power, to discuss ways to further boost renewable energy in the state. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav spoke about the rising need for energy and the growing demand for data centre development, while highlighting the advances made by Madhya Pradesh in the renewable energy sector.
Sumant Sinha shared ReNew Power's plans to further expand its presence in Madhya Pradesh, particularly in solar energy, data centres and pump storage projects. Both sides discussed extending their existing relationship and expanding the scope of engagement.
The state government also met a delegation from Sandoz, led by Carlo Gargiula, Global Head - Small Molecules and Anti-Infectives Operations, to explore opportunities in the pharmaceutical sector. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav spoke about the favourable policies available for the pharma sector and invited the Sandoz team to visit the state to explore expansion opportunities. The Sandoz delegation acknowledged the invitation and expressed optimism about further engagement with Madhya Pradesh.
Separately, the Government of Madhya Pradesh held discussions with Calista Redmond, Vice-President, Global AI Initiatives at NVIDIA, on extending artificial intelligence and technology initiatives in the state. The state shared how Madhya Pradesh has leveraged its strengths in land, labour and logistics to deliver technology-based innovations in education and agriculture.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav spoke about AI's potential to deliver social sector benefits to various groups, including farmers, and shared the vision of linking AI with state databases to reach more beneficiaries. Redmond outlined NVIDIA's five major strategies to deliver sovereign AI and discussed connecting the skilled workforce with the right industries. She also highlighted various AI pilots underway across Indian states and NVIDIA's focus on making AI relevant to India by linking it with Indian models and data.
Madhya Pradesh and NVIDIA agreed to take forward discussions to explore a mutually beneficial partnership, officials added.