Fourth City as a Future City Meeting Global Needs
Revanth Reddy at the Inauguration of Cognizant’s New Campus
Cognizant Invited to Future City
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy emphasised that their competition is not with neighbouring states but with the world. He stated that their goal is to establish Telangana as a one-trillion-dollar economy. Recently, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy inaugurated Cognizant’s new campus in Kokapet.
During the event, the Chief Minister mentioned that Hyderabad has a history of 430 years, and regardless of who governed the city — from its founder Quli Qutb Shah to the present, or how many systems changed — everyone has been dedicated to Hyderabad’s development. He addressed the notion some have started that investments from here would move to Andhra Pradesh when the government changes. However, he clarified that his competition is not with Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, or Tamil Nadu, but with the world.
He noted that Hyderabad, and specifically Cognizant, provides the highest number of jobs and employment opportunities in the country. He pointed out that while the Qutb Shahs and Nizams built Hyderabad, the British built Secunderabad. In 1992, then Chief Minister Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy laid the foundation for the IT industry, and subsequent Chief Ministers Chandrababu Naidu and Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy further developed the IT sector and established Cyberabad.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy declared that they aim to build the Fourth City as a Future City that meets current global needs. He asserted that, just as countries like the U.S. and South Korea are looking for alternatives to China, this Future City will provide answers to all such questions. The Chief Minister stated that the development of the Future City will demonstrate their commitment and sincerity.
More deals in a few more days…
He attended the event the same day he returned after a ten-day visit to the United States and South Korea. He mentioned that every businessperson and corporate leader they met there was positive about investing in Telangana and Hyderabad. The Chief Minister revealed that their visits are expected to bring investments of Rs 31,500 crore and create over 30,750 jobs. He also mentioned that more agreements are expected to be finalised soon.
The Chief Minister announced that an Investor Task Force will be established to facilitate meetings related to investments. He outlined Telangana’s development strategy, mentioning that the state has three rings: the first is the core urban area of Hyderabad, the second is the semi-urban area between the Outer Ring Road and the Regional Ring Road, where they plan to set up manufacturing hubs, and the third is the rural Telangana beyond the Regional Ring Road. He emphasised that they will develop the best villages in Asia with all modern amenities in rural Telangana.
The Chief Minister concluded by noting that their approach has long been to compete globally rather than just with neighbouring states.
Complete support to expansion of Cognizant…
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy assured full support for Cognizant’s expansion. He highlighted the significant role of Cognizant in Hyderabad, noting that, like Hyderabad, Cognizant has also grown steadily. He mentioned that Cognizant has become the second-largest provider of jobs in the state.
Cognizant, which started in Hyderabad in 2002, has grown to create employment for a large number of people. The Chief Minister invited Cognizant to set up its campus in the Future City as well. He expressed a desire to create more job opportunities for the youth of Telangana.
Everyone is talking about Hyderabad… Minister Sridhar Babu
IT Minister Sridhar Babu stated that everyone around the world is talking about Hyderabad today. He noted that the development of the IT sector in Hyderabad did not happen overnight. He explained that the groundwork for the IT industry was laid in 1992 by then-Congress Chief Minister, and over the subsequent 10 years, both Congress and other party Chief Ministers contributed to the growth of the IT sector here.
He reminded that during the Davos visit, discussions were held about campus expansion with Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar, Cognizant Americas President, and EVP Surya Gummadi. The minister expressed gratitude for the completion of the campus expansion within six months in response to the Chief Minister’s call, which will create more job opportunities.
He highlighted that the world today is exploring various talents in fields such as AI, cybersecurity, and quantum technology. The minister mentioned that the Chief Minister is focused on providing all necessary facilities for the development of the skills required for these fields. In this context, he elaborated that they plan to build an AI city.
Hyd is a key hub in our network:
Cognizant President and EVP Surya Gummadi
Cognizant EVP and Cognizant Americas President Surya Gummadi stated that Hyderabad is a key hub in their network. Following the inauguration of Cognizant’s new campus, Surya Gummadi expressed great satisfaction in opening a new state-of-the-art centre in Hyderabad, which has been crucial to Cognizant’s growth since 2002.
He revealed that out of Cognizant’s 346,000 employees worldwide, 240,000 are in India, with 57,000 of them based in Hyderabad. He noted that 39% of these employees are women. Surya emphasised that their investment in Hyderabad is strategic, aimed at creating employment for talented local youth while addressing cutting-edge issues in AI, ML, data engineering, and IoT at their Hyderabad centre.
He described their initiatives in Telangana focused on education, skill training, social welfare, and environmental sustainability. Surya Gummadi expressed gratitude to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for his support in facilitating the new expansion in Hyderabad. He affirmed that Cognizant will continue to work with the Telangana government on skill development, talent promotion, technology, and innovations.
