VIJAYAWADA: In a major push toward structural reforms, mega industrial investments and social welfare, the State Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday, approved a comprehensive slate of decisions spanning education, skill development, Backwards Classes (BC) welfare, and multi-crore infrastructure projects.
Placing key emphasis on human capital and youth empowerment, the Cabinet greenlit landmark legislation to establish Private Skills Universities, launched dedicated Centres of Excellence for competitive exam coaching for BC students and cleared the direct recruitment of 10,060 government posts under the 2026–27 Job Calendar.
Leading the education and skill development agenda, the Cabinet approved the draft ‘Andhra Pradesh Private Skills Universities (Establishment & Regulation) Bill, 2026.’ Aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and National Credit Framework, the bill enables the setup of self-financed Greenfield and Brownfield skills universities under a hub-and-spoke model, integrating ITIs, polytechnics, and industrial units without incurring any financial burden on the state exchequer.
In a parallel move to bolster higher education governance, the Cabinet resolved to introduce amendments to the AP Private Universities Act, 2016, and the AP Higher Education Regulatory and Monitoring Commission Act, 2019, refocusing regulatory bodies primarily on fee structure oversight to eliminate administrative redundancies and enhance institutional autonomy.
Reaffirming its commitment to social justice and BC welfare, the government sanctioned two dedicated Centres of Excellence under the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Andhra Pradesh Backward Classes Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (MJPAPBCWREIS).
To be set up in Amalapuram for boys and Tirupati for girls starting from the 2026–27 academic year, these residential centres will provide intensive coaching for IIT-JEE and NEET to 640 select intermediate students annually.
The Cabinet approved filling 10,060 vacant posts across various state government departments through direct recruitment via APPSC, APSLPRB, and DSC.
On the industrial and technology front, the Cabinet approved multi-billion-rupee investment proposals aimed at transforming Visakhapatnam and surrounding regions.
Key among these is the allotment of 200 acres to Data Centre Holdings India LLP to construct a 486 MW hyperscale data centre campus at Jaganadhapuram with an investment of Rs 58,743 crore, alongside 433.30 acres to ReNew AP Green Data Centre Pvt Ltd for a ₹85,200 crore, 1,000 MW facility in Anakapalli district.
The Cabinet also extended financial incentives to AM Intelligence Labs Pvt Ltd for establishing a 512 MW green integrated AI data centre in Visakhapatnam involving Rs 31,387 crore in capital expenditure.
In the electronics sector, approval was granted to AIL Dixon Technologies for a Rs 450-crore surveillance manufacturing plant at YSR EMC Kopparthy, expected to generate 7,000 direct jobs, and M/s Munoth Lithium Battery Pvt Ltd for a Rs 500-crore Li-ion cell manufacturing unit in Tirupati.
On the civic infrastructure front, the Cabinet accorded administrative sanction of Rs 7,469.46 crore under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) for executing urban development works—including storm-water drains, roads, central medians, and street lighting—across various Urban Local Bodies.
In land administration and urban infrastructure, the APCRDA Commissioner was authorised to acquire 2,344.12 acres in Motadaka village, Guntur district, under the Land Pooling Scheme for the proposed Errupalem-Namburu broad-gauge railway line and Inner Ring Road.
Additionally, 116.88 acres of land in Mangalagiri was reclassified from Tank Poramboke to AWD and allotted to APIIC Ltd.
In the energy sector, administrative sanction was granted for the revised estimates of the 950 MW Kamalapadu Pumped Storage Hydro Electric Project in Anantapur district, while greenlighting multiple wind-solar hybrid, compressed biogas, and green ammonia projects under the Andhra Pradesh Integrated Clean Energy Policy 2024.
