‘AP to be knowledge, innovation hub’: CM Naidu unveils ‘One Family, One Entrepreneur’ vision

Amaravati: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced that Andhra Pradesh will be developed as a knowledge hub and destination for future technology to achieve the ‘one family-one entrepreneur’ goal.

The NDA government has provided employment to 4.71 lakh youth by focusing on skill development. In addition, appointment orders were handed over to 15,941 teachers, he said.

The State government has also launched a skill census programme, through which the skills of 3.5 crore people have been analysed so far.

Employment is AP govt’s top priority

Presenting details on logistics, industries, and employment in the AP Legislative Assembly on Friday, the Chief Minister said that providing jobs to youth in both government and private sectors remains the top priority.

“Efforts are underway to create employment through the work-from-home model for 5,500 people. In the past year alone, 4.71 lakh youth secured jobs, including 3.48 lakh in the private sector. Another 9,093 candidates found opportunities in government departments and 6,100 in the police department,” the CM said.

He emphasised the need to foster a competitive spirit among youth. An Aviation University and a Logistics University are also coming up in AP, in addition to the Government of India’s Centre for Excellence.

50,000 hotel rooms across AP

Tourism has been accorded industry status to attract higher investments.

A target has been set to create fifty thousand hotel rooms across the state, alongside promoting homestays. The tourism sector contributes 8 per cent to the GSDP and generates large-scale employment opportunities. Vijayawada has also been added to the temple tourism map by hosting the Dasara Utsav on a grand scale, comparable to Mysore and Kolkata. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Srisailam soon.

Aiming to bring down logistics costs

On logistics, the Chief Minister said that the AP Logistics Corporation will be established to make the state the leading logistics hub. The government is adopting a holistic approach to bring down logistics costs.

A blueprint will be prepared to achieve this by developing a multi-modal transport system, promoting water transport through rivers and canals, and laying pipelines for commodities such as iron ore.

Rs 4,500 crore worth of infrastructure projects

On infrastructure, the Chief Minister said roads will be developed across the State at a cost of Rs 4,500 crore, while national projects worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore are in progress.

“AP ranks second in the national highway network. In port development, too, the State holds the second position after Gujarat in cargo handling. At present, AP ports handle 182 million tonnes of cargo, with capacity set to increase by another 100 million tonnes once four more ports are completed. A bullet train project connecting Hyderabad-Amaravati-Chennai and Bengaluru is also on the way,” he said.

On investments, the Chief Minister said that the NDA government has succeeded in restoring investor confidence and has attracted Rs 6.23 lakh crore through 123 projects in just one year.

Vizag to become major IT hub

Visakhapatnam, traditionally known as a port city and Steel City, is now emerging as a major IT hub, with Google setting up a data centre and companies like TCS, Cognizant and Accenture establishing offices there.