Security tightened at Delhi Civic Centre ahead of ward committee polls
New Delhi (PTI): Security has been beefed in and around the Civic Centre here with authorities anticipating a face-off between workers of the opposition BJP and the ruling AAP during the MCD's ward committee polls on Wednesday, officials said.
A company of paramilitary personnel along with the Delhi Police personnel has been deployed in and around the Civic Centre in central Delhi, they said.
The personnel have been instructed to prevent any untoward incident during the election process, a senior police officer said.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena late on Tuesday asked the MCD commissioner to notify the appointment of deputy commissioners as presiding officers for MCD ward committee polls after Mayor Shelly Oberoi did not do so.
The last-minute intervention by the LG using special powers granted under the DMC Act, and in the "larger public interest", ends uncertainty over the polls that are scheduled to be held on Wednesday, September 4.
Earlier on Tuesday evening, Oberoi refused to appoint presiding officers, saying her conscience does not allow her to participate in an "undemocratic election process".
She had also directed MCD commissioner Ashwani Kumar to restart the election process and give at least one week time for filing the nomination.
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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.
