MUMBAI: Fortune India launched its December issue comprising the esteemed Fortune 500 list with elan at a Power Talk with Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Andhra Pradesh.
The event witnessed a gathering of top decision makers, thought leaders and business analysts from the country to brainstorm and lay down the initial road map for rebuilding the state under the visionary leadership of Hon’ble CM of Andhra Pradesh, Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu. The event began with the launch of the 2014 edition of the Fortune India 500 mega issue by the Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu along with Mr. D. D. Purkayastha, MD & CEO, ABP Pvt. Ltd. and Mr. D. N. Mukerjea, Editor, Fortune India.
The launch of this esteemed issue was followed by a brief welcome address by D.N. Mukerjea of Fortune India where he was quick to mention how Naidu’s challenge is to build a state with the pace and discipline of a start-up. ‘This is a rare opportunity for everybody to come together and contribute to building a new state’, said Mukerjea.
“The Andhra Pradesh (AP) government is developing the state as a trade and logistics hub, benchmarked against the business-friendliest countries in the world,” said chief minister Shri. N. Chandrababu Naidu in Visakhapatnam today, referring to the state’s 974 km coastline while addressing the elite gathering. Naidu outlined his strategy to make AP the largest trade gateway for India to countries in the east, citing the Visakhapatnam-Kakinada Industrial Area Development Authority which will boost trade with countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, China and Japan. “It is planned as a mega city with state-of-the-art infrastructure and civic amenities,” the Chief Minister said, adding that an international airport is on the anvil, with three sea ports having excellent deep waters ready.
The event was concluded with a panel discussion moderated by the Editor, Fortune India where panelists included the Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu, Sri S.P. Tucker, Spl. Chief Secretary, Planning Department (Andhra Pradesh); Mr. Krishna Kumar Ananthasubramanian, Managing Director, Philips India; Mr. Lakshmi Narayanan, Vice Chairman, Cognizant Technology Solutions; and Mr. Sudhir Sethi, Managing Partner, IDG Ventures. The state is seeking ideas towards setting up a new state; the panelists stressed the need to bring world-class research institutions and to promote migration of skilled populations into the new cities of the state to ensure they are at par with Silicon Valley.
The Fortune 500 ranking of the largest corporations is the best known symbol of corporate excellence in the world. A signature issue – a veritable tome of information on India’s best and for purposes of benchmarking there’s the China 500, the BRIC 75 (Brazil, Russia, India, and China), the CIVET S 100 (Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey, and South Africa), and the world according to the Fortune global 500. Accompanying all the tables and rankings are some compelling stories on what makes India’s largest corporations unique. In its 5th edition, State-run Indian Oil Corporation is named the country's largest company in terms of revenue, followed by Reliance Industries and Bharat Petroleum in the second and third place respectively.
