Lokesh outlines vision for AP's growth in IT, infrastructure, clean energy

Visakhapatnam: The minister for Education, Information Technology (IT) and Electronics, Nara Lokesh, said that a route map has already been designed to take Andhra Pradesh to the number one position in the country.

Lokesh was the chief guest for the Infrastructure Summit of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) organised at a star hotel here on Wednesday. Addressing the elite gathering, the minister for IT and Electronics said that the TDP-led NDA government in AP accords the highest priority for creating basic amenities.

‘Decentralisation of development’

Regretting that due to the previous government’s negligence industrial development in the State came to a standstill, he said all necessary steps are being taken to bring the State back on track.

“Under the able guidance of the chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, the State is moving at a fast pace towards development,” the minister said. Stating that the focus is on decentralisation of development, he said that steps are being taken to bring progress to all districts by setting up different sectors in each district.

Renewable energy centres in AP

Kurnool district will head towards renewable energy as the State government has set a target of generating 72 gigawatts of energy in the coming five years, he said, adding that as part of the programme, the focus will be on setting up hydro, wind and solar power projects on a large scale. While Anantapur will be developed as an automobile manufacturing hub, Chittoor and Kadapa will be taken forward as centres for electronics industries, he said.

There will be investment in biofuel production in Prakasam and Krishna districts along with Guntur. The Godavari districts will make way for aqua farming, the minister said. Regretting that basic amenities and roads have been totally neglected in the past five years, Lokesh said the largest petrochemical corridor is coming in the Godavari districts.

International data centre in Vizag

Maintaining that the target is to develop Visakhapatnam as the number one IT hub in the world, the IT minister announced that an international-level data centre is going to be established here.

North Andhra will be developed as a pharma hub, he said and expressed the hope that all North Andhra districts, including Visakhapatnam, will witness a radical progress once the Bhogapuram International Airport comes into existence.

“We are making every effort for air connectivity to all districts. It does not mean that basic amenities will become available if merely ports and airports are created. The real development is distributing the wealth generated through respective fields for all sections of society,” Lokesh remarked.

Promising to develop Visakhapatnam as the economic capital of the State, Lokesh said that the works on the Visakha-Chennai industrial corridor are being accelerated. “Ease of Doing Business is past. Under the able leadership of Chandrababu we are moving forward with Speed of Doing Business,” he added.

New industrial and IT policies

Lokesh declared that new industrial, IT and Electronics policies will soon be announced with industrial-friendly schemes and said that under the leadership of a young IAS officer the Economic Development Board will be revived. Under the guidance of the chief minister, the EDB is going to function very actively, he said and appreciated the GMR for its hard work in creating infrastructure.

Calling upon the industrialists to become partners in achieving the goal of creating 20 lakh jobs in the State, Nara Lokesh asked them to play a key role in Vikasitha Andhra Pradesh.

The minister for Infrastructure, Investments, Roads and Buildings, BC Janardhan Reddy, the chairman of the State unit of the CII, V Murali Krishna, and the GMR Airports Business, GBS Raju are among those who addressed the meeting.

Development through investment of Rs 17,000 crores

Janardhan Reddy said that under the guidance of CM Chandrababu, steps are being initiated for the development of infrastructure in the State. As part of this programme, works of Ramayapatnam, Machilipatnam, Bhavanapadu and Kakinada ports are moving at a fast pace with an investment of Rs 17,000 crores while the national infrastructure project is in the pipeline, he added.

Visakhapatnam MP Bharat said that the State Government has already initiated steps to complete the Bhogapuram International Airport in another 18 months. Under the able leadership of the youth leader, Lokesh, Visakhapatnam is progressing well, the MP said and made an appeal to the industrialists to extend their cooperation in this regard.