Goa Liberation Day: CM Sawant urges industries, citizens to keep state clean, serene
Panaji (PTI): Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday appealed to industries and citizens to keep the coastal state clean and ensure that its beauty and serenity remain intact.
Addressing the state-level ‘Goa Liberation Day’ parade near Panaji, Sawant said maintaining cleanliness in the state is essential for the growth of the tourism sector.
The CM inspected the parade and took the guard of honour after unfurling the tricolour, in the presence of cabinet ministers and other guests.
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The state government has commissioned waste management plants to treat e-waste and hazardous waste, he said.
“I appeal to all industries not to dispose of their waste on the roadside in an unscientific manner. Facilities exist to treat all kinds of waste, and these should be used to keep Goa clean,” he said.
The chief minister said that citizens should shoulder the responsibility of keeping the state clean to retain its beauty and serenity.
He also urged the locals to work towards realising the visions of ‘Vikasit Bharat’ (Developed India) and ‘Vikasit Goa’ (Developed Goa).
Sawant thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Centre for “contributing in a big way to the development of the state”.
The Goa Liberation Day is celebrated on December 19 every year to mark the success of 'Operation Vijay' undertaken by the armed forces to liberate the state from the Portuguese in 1961.
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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.
