Ambassador David Puig visits the state of Telangana

New Delhi- Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to the Republic of India, H.E. David Puig, conducted a three-day visit to the State of Telangana, from the 11th to the of 13th September 2023 with the intention of strengthening the political, educational, and commercial ties between the Dominican Republic and Telangana.

To start his three days visit H.E. David Puig  held a meeting with the Minister of Municipal Administration and Urban Development, Industries and Commerce, Information Technology, Electronics and Communication, Telangana State, Mr. K.T. Rama Rao. The discussions revolved around cooperation opportunities in Information Technology, Pharma and higher education.

During his conversations with other state officials, Ambassador Puig stressed that relations between India and the Dominican Republic should not be limited to the central government only and pointed out the need to create direct links between the state governments of India and the government of the Dominican Republic.

Ambassador Puig visited the facilities of T-Hub where he was welcomed by the Chief Innovation Officer, Mr. Sujit Jagirdar and Head of International Programmes, Strategy and Partnerships, Ms. Priyanka. Ambassador Puig also had the opportunity to get acquainted with  T-Works, the largest prototyping center in India, which is an initiative of the Telangana government and minister K.T. Rama Rao. There, he met with Ms. Tejaswini Kidambi, the institution's business development manager, who led the tour of the facilities.

In collaboration with the Pharmaceutical Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexil), Ambassador Puig delivered a presentation on the benefits of doing business in the Dominican Republic. At least 20 representatives from different pharmaceutical companies were present, who expressed interest in having more information about the Dominican Republic markets and its logistical facilities.

Moreover, Ambassador Puig also visited the facilities of Dr. Reddy Laboratories, a multinational pharmaceutical company in India, leader in creating low-cost, high-quality generic medicines for the local and international market. He was greeted by Mr. Srihari Murali. This was followed by a visit to the facilities of MSN Laboratories, company that conducts drug development research and is currently in the process of opening its offices in the Dominican Republic.

On the topic of higher education, Ambassador Puig visited the facilities of the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, where he met the Director Mr. Budaraju Srinivas Murty and Dean of International Relations, Mr. Tarun Pana. During the exchange, Ambassador Puig shared the ongoing efforts of the Dominican Republic government to include Indian universities in the scholarship scheme  of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (MESCYT) to allow Dominican students to pursue masters and PHD programs in India.

For his last day in Telangana, Ambassador Puig visited the Aspire-Bionest facility at the University of Hyderabad, where he held a meeting with the Vice Chancellor of the university, Mr. B.K. Rao. This institution is an incubator which promotes innovation and business in the field of agricultural technologies, biotechnology, medical care, pharmaceutical etc.

During his official visit to Telangana, Ambassador Puig was accompanied by First Secretary Bianca Báez.