VISAKHAPATNAM: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu on Monday appealed to young technocrats to focus on developing indigenous technologies to strengthen India’s self-reliance in the global technology sector.
Addressing the gathering as the chief guest at the 28th National Conference on e-Governance (NCeG) 2025 in Visakhapatnam under the theme, ‘Viksit Bharat: Civil Services and Digital Transformation’, Naidu said that India, despite its robust technology sector, continues to depend on other countries for production.
Stressing the need for ‘Swadeshi’ technology, he announced that Andhra Pradesh is developing a Quantum Valley in Amaravati, which will join the global network of quantum valleys by January 2026.
“Currently, only six countries produce quantum computers. With the support of the Government of India, IBM, TCS, and L&T, Andhra Pradesh is working to establish the Quantum Valley and create a mechanism to produce quantum computers within two years,” he stated.
The Chief Minister also outlined other upcoming projects, including a Space City near Sriharikota, a Drone City in Orvakal, an Electronics City, and a MedTech Park.
He emphasised that these initiatives will provide opportunities for technocrats, particularly those from IITs and IIMs, to contribute to emerging technologies.
“India is already the largest user of Artificial Intelligence. The challenge before us is to develop in-house capabilities rather than depend on others,” he added.
Highlighting the State’s digital governance initiatives, Naidu said Andhra Pradesh has launched the Mana Mitra (WhatsApp Governance) platform, which provides 751 government services.
He also announced the Sanjeevani health project to create digital health records for all citizens, enabling predictive and curative treatment under the principle of food as medicine and kitchen as pharmacy.
Recalling his earlier efforts in introducing e-Seva and Mee-Seva, Naidu said technology has the potential to bring transparency and efficiency into administration. He stated that real-time data through satellites, drones, CCTV cameras, and sensors will be used for accurate decision-making. He also highlighted the government’s efforts to promote entrepreneurship through initiatives like the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub and the ‘One Family-One Entrepreneur’ initiative, aimed at strengthening MSMEs.
He expressed confidence that India would emerge as the world’s third-largest economy by 2028 and the leading economy by 2047 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. He noted that competition among states to adopt new technologies is a healthy trend that supports national progress.
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh presented awards across six categories, including Gram Panchayats, for best practices in e-Governance. The Union Minister expressed gratitude to the State government for hosting the conference and recalled Visakhapatnam’s transformation over the last 25 years. He cited the city’s pioneering role in sanitation management and noted its current importance in infrastructure, including the proposed Bhogapuram Greenfield Airport.
In his address, Chief Secretary K Vijayanand called the conference theme timely and ambitious, central to the country’s vision of Viksit Bharat and Swarna Andhra@2047. He highlighted state initiatives such as RTGS Lens, Data Lake Implementation, AWARE 2.0, AI-enabled search platforms, and Chatbot Solutions.
As part of the conference, the National Awards for e-Governance 2025 were presented to 19 initiatives across six categories. The officials said the Visakhapatnam Declaration, to be adopted at the end of the two-day conference, will provide a roadmap for future e-Governance in India.