WEF signs agreement with Telangana for C4IR

Telangana is set to pioneer advancements in health tech and life sciences with the establishment of the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) in Hyderabad. The agreement for the Centre was signed during discussions between Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and World Economic Forum (WEF) president Borge Brende at the ongoing WEF Annual Conference in Davos, Switzerland. The WEF had selected and announced Hyderabad as the location for the C4IR during last year’s annual conference in Davos.

Scheduled to be launched on February 28 as part of the BioAsia-2024 conference, the C4IR in Hyderabad will focus on leveraging technology to enhance the State’s healthcare under the leadership of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. “The initiative aligns seamlessly with the broader vision of Telangana government and goals of the World Economic Forum, emphasising collaboration to improve people’s lives through enhanced lifestyles and improved quality of living standards,” Chief Minister Revanth Reddy said.

He reiterated the State government’s commitment to provide better healthcare, technology, and a good life for the State’s four crore people



through this partnership. He stated that the State government is fully prepared to extend world-class healthcare services to people living in villages and small towns.

IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu, accompanying the Chief Minister in Davos, highlighted the government’s determination to transform Telangana into a global health tech hub, extending services to rural areas.

Dr. Shyam Bishen, Head of World Economic Forum Centre for Health and Healthcare, felt that India, with significant potential in health tech and life sciences, finds Telangana at the forefront. The C4IR in Hyderabad is expected to become the world’s first healthcare hub, generating jobs in the healthcare sector and fostering collaboration between the government and small-to-medium enterprises.

“The WEF, confident in achieving the digital healthcare transformation goal, anticipates enhanced service delivery to patients and technological innovations in healthcare. We are satisfied with Telangana’s commitment to supporting the WEF’s global impact,” he said. The Centre is slated to commence operations in Hyderabad in February next year.