‘Spicy food, speedy approvals’: Lokesh welcomes CII summit delegates to Vizag

VISAKHAPATNAM Port city Visakhapatnam is set to host the 31st Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Partnership Summit 2026 at the Andhra University Engineering Grounds on November 12 and 13. Centred on the theme “Navigating the New World Order: Trade, Technology, Trust and Thought Leadership,” the global economic forum began with sessions on Wednesday covering MSME standards, the defence ecosystem and startup engagements with South Korea. The day culminated in a welcome dinner hosted by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

Setting the tone for the summit, IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh welcomed delegates to Visakhapatnam through a post on X (formerly Twitter). “Welcome to Vizag! In Andhra, ‘non spicy’ is a myth, not a menu option - Spicy food, speedy approvals. That’s the Andhra way.

Welcome to the CII Partnership Summit 2026!” he posted. The two-day summit will bring together prominent policymakers, Union Ministers, business leaders and international delegations. The sessions will be led by Union Ministers Sarbananda Sonowal, Chirag Paswan and Nitin Gadkari.