Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Lokesh invites Australian collaboration in education, technology, tourism and health

During his visit to the University of Melbourne in Australia, Andhra Pradesh HRD Minister Nara Lokesh interacted with Vice-Chancellor Prof. Emma Johnston, and urged partnership with Andhra Pradesh in AI, Cybersecurity, IoT, and Quantum Technology research, and proposed joint centres for renewable energy, agriculture, and health innovation.

Mr. Lokesh invited collaboration with Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University for sustainable farming and digital health research.

Mr. Lokesh on the fifth day of his Australia tour on Thursday held a series of meetings with top universities and government leaders, seeking strategic collaborations in technology, education, tourism, and healthcare for the state’s sustainable development.

As part of it, he met Victoria’s Minister for Tourism, Sport, and Environment Steve Dimopoulos, proposing collaboration in heritage tourism, climate-resilient coastal development, waste management, and eco-certification. He invited Victorian expertise to promote Andhra Pradesh’s scenic heritage sites like Papikondalu and Visakhapatnam beaches. He also suggested joint cricket and hockey training camps, sports science exchanges, and adventure tourism collaborations for Araku and Pulicat on the lines of Victoria’s Alpine National Park model.

Mr. Lokesh also visited the University of Tasmania (UTAS), where he met Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Prof. Natalie Brown and sought UTAS’s help in developing curriculum for pharmacy and paramedical courses, promoting digital health tools, telemedicine, and student–faculty exchanges, and conducting joint studies on rural healthcare and water supply.