Interview: Chief Secretary Jawahar Reddy talks investments, plans to develop Visakhapatnam as capital

Visakhapatnam: The Global Investors Summit 2023 'Advantage Andhra Pradesh' has brought in investments worth Rs. 13,05,663 crores which will provide employment opportunities to 6,03,223 people. There are 352 MoUs signed by the government of Andhra Pradesh and investors.

Dr K S Jawahar Reddy, chief secretary of Andhra Pradesh, talks to NewsMeter about the investments in the state, the development of ports, and the need to develop tourism.

These investments are now going to be monitored by a committee to turn them into a reality. Which projects will convert soon and which will be done over a period of time?

We are expecting Rs. 5 lakh crores to be converted within a few months as these are projects where the investors are already there. The new ones have an existing infrastructure and their investments are easily convertible as they have approached us. We have to incentivise and get them on the ground to scale it up.

The manufacturing of solar components is expected to start within 18 months. The infrastructure for those industries is being put in place. There are some investments worth Rs. 13 lakh crores that are long-term based. The role of the committee as announced by Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy will be to understand and clear the hurdles and inter-department challenges for investors and ensure that their problems are sorted out.

Which are the long-term investments?

A huge base for renewable energy in terms of solar, wind, and water for storage capacity is being created. This new technology in the renewable energy sector is evolving and we are looking at these as long-term investment projects. The green and clean energy projects in AP will make it the hub for renewable energy storage.

What is going to be done to make Visakhapatnam the capital of the state?

We need to build a secretariat, Raj Bhavan, and administrative buildings. We also have a six-lane port highway on National Highway 16. The place from where these lanes start is what we are planning to develop. These will all be part of the capital city.

What about the vulnerability of the place as due to climate change there are constant cyclones in the region?

We are going to look at sustainable infrastructure development. There will also be great thrust on the preservation of mangroves. We have lived during Covid-19, survived, and are back. Similarly, these aspects of climate will be kept in mind.

What is the one aspect that the AP government wants to develop soon?

Our immediate focus is on tourism and we need to capitalise on that. There are beaches along our coastline which must be developed for tourism. Our focus is also on ports as the six-lane highway will make them accessible for development. We need to focus on these two aspects now.

What are the other big attractions that the state is planning?

We want to make an ISB like the one in Hyderabad. There are also other projects, but these are at a nascent stage. We are very happy with the response from investors and our focus will now be on conversion.