HYDERABAD: The governments of the UAE and Telangana on Tuesday agreed to explore collaboration for the development of Bharat Future City as a global urban centre.
The understanding emerged after UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri met Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2026.
The discussions focused on potential cooperation in large infrastructure projects in Telangana, with particular attention on Bharat Future City.
During the meeting, Revanth outlined the Telangana Rising 2047 vision and the roadmap to transform the state into a $3 trillion economy by 2047. He explained the scope of the Bharat Future City project, which is planned as India’s first Net-Zero greenfield smart city.
Revanth said that global companies such as Marubeni and Sembcorp were already on board. “Very recently, we signed an MoU with Reliance Group’s Vantara to establish a new zoo in Bharat Future City,” he said.
Al Marri said the UAE government would be open to partnering with Telangana and suggested the formation of a joint task force comprising officials from both sides to facilitate faster implementation.
He also proposed a strategic partnership between a UAE food cluster and Telangana, with a focus on the rural and agriculture-based economy.
IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu, Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy and senior officials were part of the Telangana Rising delegation.
Saudi firm, Israel reach out
Separately, Saudi-based industrial conglomerate Expertise expressed interest in partnering with Young India Skills University (YISU). Mohammed Ashif, president and CEO of Expertise, met the chief minister and proposed collaboration to meet the company’s requirement of recruiting around 5,000 skilled workers annually.
“We would like to partner with the Skills University and begin training the workforce in the crafts we require,” he said.
In another meeting, Revanth met Alon Stopel, chairman of the Israel Innovation Authority, to discuss ongoing collaborations in agriculture, climate change and startup innovation.
The Chief Minister’s Office said Israel would partner with and support Telangana startups in areas including AI and deep tech, covering sectors such as healthtech, agri-tech, cybersecurity and aerospace.
