APTDC's 2-day Tourism Tech AI 2.0 conclave from today
Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) will host the Tourism Tech AI 2.0 Conclave in Vijayawada on June 26–27 to transform the state into a top-tier tourism destination through innovation, sustainability, and strategic investments.
To be held at a city hotel, the conclave underscores Andhra Pradesh's commitment to green infrastructure.
On June 27, APTDC will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL), a subsidiary of Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), to establish Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (EVCS) and Battery Swapping Stations (BSS) across major cities, highway corridors, and tourist hotspots.
Special chief secretary for housing and tourism, Ajay Jain, who heads APTDC, emphasised Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's ambitious 20 per cent growth target for the tourism sector, aiming to attract Rs 25,000 crore in investments over the next four years.
During the conclave, APTDC will sign over 50 MoUs with national and international investors in hospitality, adventure sports, cruises, and homestays, securing Rs 10,039 crore in commitments.
These investments will create 24,780 direct and indirect jobs, add 7,509 hotel room keys, and drive growth in water sports, eco-tourism, and rural homestays.
The conclave will feature panel discussions on the Creative Economy, Tourism Products & Projects, Investments, Capacity Building, Branding & Communications, and Technology in Tourism, with top tourism professionals, developers, tech innovators, and investors sharing insights to build a forward-looking tourism ecosystem.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
8 minutes ago
- India Today
Jagan Reddy accuses Andhra Pradesh government of Rs 9,000 crore bond scam
Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, has accused the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) alliance government of gross financial mismanagement and constitutional violations in connection with the recent non-convertible debenture (NCD) issuance by the Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC).In a post on X, Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged that the current government displayed 'a lack of fiscal discipline and disregard for the Constitutional framework'. He pointed to the second tranche of NCDs issued by APMDC on June 25, which raised Rs 5,526 crore at a coupon rate of 9.30 per cent. With this, the total amount raised through bond issuances stands at Rs 9,000 contended that the issuance went ahead despite the matter being sub judice, with the Andhra Pradesh High Court having admitted the case and notices having been served. He alleged that the funds were intended to finance the government's revenue expenditure, in breach of constitutional guidelines. He further claimed that the TDP alliance government had, in an 'unprecedented manner', enabled private entities to gain direct access to the Consolidated Fund of the State through a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) direct debit mandate. According to him, this allowed private parties to withdraw money from the state treasury without the involvement of government officials — a move he described as a 'blatant violation' of Articles 203, 204, and 293(1) of the Constitution of additional security for the bonds, the government allegedly mortgaged mineral assets valued at Rs 1.91 lakh crore to back NCD issuances of just Rs 9,000 crore. Reddy criticised the disparity, suggesting that the bonds were more securely backed than even the State Development Loans (SDLs) but were still floated at an unusually high interest questioned why, despite such high-value security, the APMDC bonds bore a 9.30 per cent coupon rate — 2.60 per cent higher than the prevailing SDL rate — resulting in an additional annual burden of Rs 235 crore. Over the 10-year tenure of the bonds, this would amount to a substantial financial load on the public sector Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in his post, Jagan demanded, 'Can @ncbn Garu answer as to who pocketed this?'He concluded by noting that the total budgetary and off-budget borrowings under the TDP alliance in the past 13 months had already exceeded 50 per cent of the borrowings incurred by the previous government over its entire five-year term.- Ends IN THIS STORY#Andhra Pradesh
The Wire
13 minutes ago
- The Wire
How to Use SIP Investment Plan to Reach Your Retirement Goals
Pune, Maharashtra, India (NewsVoir) Retirement planning is one of the few key decisions that everyone takes in their financial life. A structured and consistent approach towards this can make your journey easier as well as efficient. One such approach is starting a Systematic Investment Plan, which offers you a structured approach to accumulating wealth over time. Here's how an SIP investment plan can potentially help you work towards your retirement goals. Understanding the SIP investment plan A Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) allows you to invest a fixed amount regularly in mutual funds. Instead of investing a large sum at once, SIP investment plans break down your investment into smaller, manageable amounts that are invested at regular intervals, typically monthly. This method not only encourages financial discipline but also potentially reduces the impact of market volatility through rupee cost averaging. Benefits of using SIPs for retirement planning • Disciplined savings: SIPs help inculcate a habit of regular saving and investing, which is crucial for long-term goals like retirement. • Power of compounding: When you start early and remain consistent, your investments may benefit from compounding. Over the years, even small monthly contributions can grow significantly. • Flexibility: You can start a SIP with as little as Rs. 500 in general and increase the amount as your income grows. • Convenience: With automated deductions from your bank account, SIPs are hassle-free and require minimal intervention. Setting your retirement goal Before you start your SIP investment plan, it is essential that you assess the amount you need to accumulate for your retirement. Consider factors such as your current lifestyle, year-on-year inflation, expected retirement age, and life expectancy. Here, using an online calculator can help you get a rough idea of the corpus you might need. Once you have a detailed picture of your corpus, you can start working backwards to determine how much you need to invest and for how long. This will give you understanding on the amount you need to invest in your SIP investment plan. Choosing suitable mutual funds Retirement is a long-term goal. This means that investing in an equity mutual funds through a SIP investment plan can be a suitable option. Equity funds have the potential to generate better returns over longer periods, although they come with higher risk. Then, as your retirement age nears, you may gradually shift your investments towards debt-oriented or hybrid funds that can potentially stabilise capital and reduce risk. This phased approach helps balance growth in early years and stability in later ones. Reviewing your SIP periodically While a SIP investment plan helps you stay consistent, it is also essential to periodically review your investments. As you go about life, both your income levels and market conditions fluctuate. Adjusting your SIP amount or the fund of your choice basis these changes can help you ensure that your plan stays aligned with your retirement goals. Using a lumpsum calculator to complement your strategy In addition to this, you may also consider investing a lumpsum amount when your finances allow it. A lumpsum calculator can help you plan your approach. This tool helps you estimate the potential future value of your one-time investment based on expected returns and tenure. Not only does this give the broader picture but also does it allow you to potentially accelerate your retirement planning. It is also essential to align your investment strategy with your risk appetite and financial horizon. While SIPs offer a steady approach, lumpsum investments can be a suitable one-time push that your SIP investment plan might need. Conclusion A SIP investment plan can be a valuable add on to your financial journey. This valuable tool can help you build a retirement corpus in time. When used in combination with other financial tools in your tool kit like lumpsum investments, it may support your efforts in creating long-term financial stability. Remember, the earlier you start even with modest contributions, the more meaningful contribution you can make to your financial health over time. Mutual Fund investments are subject to market risks, read all scheme related documents carefully. (Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with Newsvoir and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.).
Time of India
16 minutes ago
- Time of India
From shortage to surplus: India pours record rice crop into ethanol
India is allocating record rice volumes for ethanol production as it struggles with unprecedented inventories that are likely to swell further with the arrival of the new season crop, a reversal from earlier shortages that led to export curbs. Turning more rice to ethanol is helping to reduce rice stocks in the world's biggest producer and exporter of the grain and keeping India's ambitious ethanol blending programme on track despite a drop in supplies of traditional feedstock sugar cane. In March, India removed the last of roughly two years of restrictions on rice exports, which had been prompted by poor rains that curtailed production. This year's ample monsoon rains are poised to deliver an abundant harvest. "Our top priority is making sure we have enough food," a senior government official told Reuters, declining to be named because he was not authorised to speak with media. "But since we have way more rice than we actually need for that, we've decided to use some of it for ethanol production," the official said. The state-run Food Corporation of India (FCI) has allocated a record 5.2 million metric tons of rice for ethanol, equivalent to nearly 9per cent of global rice shipments in the 2024/25 marketing year ending in June. In the previous year, less than 3,000 tons of FCI rice went into ethanol. FCI buys nearly half of India's rice crop and currently has reserves, including unmilled paddy, of a record 59.5 million metric tons on June 1, far exceeding the government's target of 13.5 million tons for July 1. The availability of rice for ethanol has taken pressure off corn prices, which jumped to record high last years, forcing record imports by India. Grain-based distilleries use corn, rice and damaged food grains as feedstock, switching between them depending on price. India, the No.3 oil importer and consumer of petroleum products, aims to increase the blending of ethanol into gasoline to 20per cent by 2025/26. Last month, it nearly hit that target, reaching 19.8per cent ethanol, thanks to plentiful rice. The 20per cent goal had appeared to be beyond reach when sugarcane supplies, which accounted for 80per cent of ethanol feedstock until three years ago, tumbled because of drought in 2023, forcing the world's biggest consumer of the sweetener to sharply reduce diversion of sugar for ethanol. Last year, India's gasoline included 14.6per cent ethanol. PROBLEM OF PLENTY Even more rice will be used for ethanol if the government either lowers rice prices or increases the ethanol buying price, said Arushi Jain, joint secretary at the Grain Ethanol Manufacturers Association. The FCI is selling rice at Rs 22,500 per ton, while oil marketing companies are procuring rice-based ethanol at Rs 58.5 per litre, which doesn't provide enough margin to ramp up rice-based ethanol production even further, said Akshay Modi, managing director at Modi Naturals Ltd, an ethanol manufacturer. FCI stocks could rise further as India is likely to harvest a bumper crop from October, said B.V. Krishna Rao, president of the Rice Exporters Association. India can increase exports only so much, said Rao, as it already accounts for more than 40per cent of global rice shipments. Since removing export curbs, India has been aggressively exporting rice, with shipments likely to rise nearly 25per cent to a record 22.5 million tons in the 2025 calendar year, denting exports of rivals including Thailand and Vietnam. India harvested a record 146.1 million tons of rice this crop year ending in June, far surpassing local demand of 120.7 million tons, according the Food and Agriculture Organization. Rising stockpiles will force India to allocate even more rice for ethanol production next marketing year, said Himanshu Agrawal, executive director at rice exporter Satyam Balajee. "The government's going to have a hard time offloading all that rice they bought from farmers," said Agrawal.
