SINGAPORE — The Republic is interested in lending a hand to build the capital city of Andhra Pradesh, a state in India, and is currently studying the best way to work with the state government on the project, said a Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) spokesperson yesterday.

On Monday, the Indian media reported that Singapore will prepare the master plan for the new capital and that Japan has also expressed a willingness to be part of the building process. The state’s business-friendly Chief Minister, Mr Chandrababu Naidu, was also reported as saying that he hopes to finalise the Republic’s involvement when Second Minister (Trade and Industry) S Iswaran visits India later this month.

The new capital is expected to span 12,140ha and is estimated to cost about 1 trillion rupees (S$21.2 billion).

The MTI spokesperson told TODAY that last month, a delegation to Singapore led by Mr Naidu visited agencies such as the Housing and Development Board, PUB, the Singapore Tourism Board and JTC Corporation to learn more about the nation’s development model.

The delegation also visited Toa Payoh New Town, Singapore River and Marina Bay Sands to learn about urban planning.

“India is keen to work with Singapore in its mission to develop smart and sustainable cities, given Singapore’s strong expertise in urban development and city planning,” the spokesperson said.

In September, Channel NewsAsia reported that Mr Naidu had invited Singapore to share its experience and contribute to the development of the new city, which will be in the Vijayawada-Guntur region in southern India.

He extended the invitation at a meeting with Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, who was then on a five-day official visit to India. During their talks, Mr Naidu also shared his vision for Andhra Pradesh, which included developments in ports and airports, oil and gas, water, manufacturing and public infrastructure.

Earlier in July, it was reported that Singapore had offered to help India build smart cities, which would boost cooperation between the two countries in the skills development sector. However, no concrete plans have been announced.