On November 14, 2025, the Vice President of India C.P. Radhakrishnan inaugurated the 30th edition of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Partnership Summit, which will continue till November 15, 2025, in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh (AP).
- Union Minister Piyush Goyal Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC&I), virtually laid the foundation stones for Drone City and Twin Space Cities in AP.
Exam Hints:
- What? Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Partnership Summit was held
- Where? In Visakhapatnam (AP)
- When? From November 14 to 15, 2025
- Inauguration by: Vice President of India C.P. Radhakrishnan
- Edition: 30th
- Theme: “Technology, Trust and Trade: Navigating the New Geoeconomic Order”
- Organizers: CII, Government of AP, DPIIT
- MoUs value: Worth Rs.11.92 lakh crore
- Foundation Stones: Drone City, Twin Space Cities
- Inauguration: Union Minister Piyush Goyal, MoC&I
- Drone City support: 20% capital subsidy, 100% reimbursement of SGST
- Twin Space Cities: In Tirupathi and Sri Sathya Sai (AP)
Highlights of the 30th CII Partnership Summit:
Dignitaries: Key dignitaries, including Chief Minister (CM) of AP, N. Chandrababu Naidu also was present. Union Minister Piyush Goyal, MoC&I, was virtually present.
Theme: The 2025 edition was held under the theme titled “Technology, Trust and Trade: Navigating the New Geoeconomic Order”.
Organizers: The summit was jointly organized by CII, Government of AP, with support from the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), MoC&I.
Participation: The event witnessed participation of over 2,500 delegates, including 300 overseas participants from 45 countries.
MoUs signed: During the summit, the Government of AP secured Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) worth Rs.11.92 lakh crore, encompassing 35 MoUs worth Rs. 3.65 lakh crores were signed ahead of the summit, in five key sectors such as Power & Green Energy, Electronics, Tourism, Renewable Energy (RE), and Biorefineries and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
Drone City and Twin Space Cities in AP:
Drone City: The drone city, spanning 300 acres at Orvakal in Kurnool (AP), is designed to become India’s central hub for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) drone innovation, manufacturing, skilling, and certification.
Components: The Drone City will include Drone Design and Manufacturing Zones, Testing & Certification Corridors, Research and Development (R&D) and Innovation Centres, Pilot Training Academies, Large Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) facilities, and 50 Centres of Excellence (CoE).
- The skill development facilities will be capable of training around 25,000 drone pilots and technicians, expecting to generate over 40,000 direct and indirect jobs.
Financial Support: Government of AP will offer a 20% capital subsidy, 100% reimbursement of State Goods and Services Tax (SGST), along with fast-track approvals and ready plug-and-play infrastructure.
Twin Space Cities: The Twin Space Cities, a pair of integrated, high-technology hubs, located in Tirupathi and Sri Sathya Sai districts of AP, aims to make AP, the Space-Tech Capital of India.
- The project is expected to attract investment of Rs.25,000 crores.
Features: It includes satellite design, prototyping & manufacturing units, satellite assembly, Integration & Testing (AIT) facilities, component manufacturing clusters, advanced testing labs, Ground station & tracking facilities, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)-industry collaboration platforms, and deep-tech innovation centres.
Financial Support: Government of AP will implement a dedicated AP SpaceTech Policy 4.0 (2025-30) and set up a Rs.100 crore AP SpaceTech Fund to promote startups and R&D.
About Confederation of Indian Industry (CII):
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Rajiv Memami
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi
Established – 1895
