Delhi Police on high alert ahead of Lionel Messi's Delhi visit
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Police has beefed up security in the central parts of the national capital and set up traffic restrictions as global football icon Lionel Messi sets foot in the city, the final stop of his GOAT tour of India.
The Argentine legend is scheduled to attend an event at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday between 1 pm and 4 pm. He kicked off the tour in Kolkata, which turned chaotic. However, the 2022 World Cup champion's Hyderabad and Mumbai visit went on smoothly.
With Delhi ready to welcome Messi, police are maintaining heightened vigil, especially in view of the recent fiasco in Kolkata, where chaos erupted at the Salt Lake Stadium after thousands of fans protested over failing to get a clear glimpse of the icon.
Delhi Police said an elaborate and multi-layered security bandobast has been put in place for Messi's visit. A senior police officer said comprehensive arrangements have been made with a strong focus on crowd management, access control and traffic regulation.
According to police, multiple security rings have been established around the venue, with deployment of additional police personnel along with paramilitary forces to maintain law and order. Entry to the stadium and designated areas is being strictly regulated, and no one is being permitted without a valid pass.
"Anti-sabotage checks, frisking points and surveillance through CCTV cameras form a key part of the security plan," the officer said.
The officer added that quick reaction teams, senior supervisory officers and emergency response units are on standby throughout the event, with public safety being the top priority.
On the traffic front, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Nishant Gupta said they have identified three main parking areas for labelled vehicles, including P1 near Vikram Nagar. Vehicles without labels are required to be parked at the Rajghat Powerhouse parking lot and Mata Sundari Lane, from where pedestrians can walk to the stadium.
App-based taxi users have been advised to alight vehicles at Rajghat Chowk and walk. Parking has been strictly prohibited around the Arun Jaitley Stadium, and vehicles found parked there will be towed and fined, the officer said.
The public has been encouraged to use the metro and buses as far as possible to reduce congestion and ensure smooth movement.
Public movement is expected to pick up around 11 am. Commuters have been advised to avoid Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, ITO, Delhi Gate, Netaji Subhash Marg and Brijmohan Chowk from 10 am till the event concludes.
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Andhra to be developed as knowledge, creator economy hub: CM Naidu
New Delhi/Amaravati (PTI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said the state is taking steps to transform itself into a knowledge and creator economy hub with a strong focus on artificial intelligence and quantum technology.
He noted that Andhra Pradesh has abundant tech-driven youth and the government is formulating plans to train them in futuristic technologies with support from global technology firms.
"Our goal is to transform Andhra Pradesh into a knowledge hub by focusing on AI, quantum computing, data centres, drone cities and space cities. The youth will remain our biggest asset over the next 25 years, and we seek global partnerships to scale up the creator economy," said Naidu during his interactions at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi.
Naidu, who participated in the summit in the national capital, also held meetings with several global technology leaders and industrialists to explore collaborations in artificial intelligence, clean energy and innovation ecosystems.
He met Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, Autodesk AI Head Mike Haley, Aramco India Director Abdul Rehman AiThukair, LEGO Education Vice President Tom Hall, Aadhaar Founder and CTO Srikanth Nadhamuni, Khosla Ventures Managing Partner Vinod Khosla and others at the AP Pavilion.
The chief minister also held discussions with Saudi Aramco representatives on clean energy projects, including solar initiatives, and invited the company to expand operations in Andhra Pradesh, stating that the state is highly suitable for green energy production.
He sought support from NVIDIA Vice President Callista Redmond for establishing AI Living Labs and proposed partnerships through the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub to promote youth innovation, including collaborations with IIT Tirupati and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Tirupati under the Andhra Pradesh Future Innovation and Research for Science and Technology (AP FIRST) initiative.
Naidu urged Autodesk leadership to support the development of Global Capability Centres in design engineering and requested the establishment of an Innovation Academy in Amaravati aligned with quantum technology, besides proposing AI and robotics learning labs in partnership with LEGO Education.
He also discussed AI-driven smart governance solutions with Quantela Inc Chairman Sridhar Gadhi, while World Bank Group Digital AI Regional Director Mahesh Uttamchandani met Naidu on the sidelines of the summit.
Following the meetings, Naidu visited various exhibition stalls at the summit, including those of NVIDIA, Tata, Intel and Microsoft, and reviewed AI applications across agriculture, healthcare and industry.
