VIJAYAWADA: The 15th State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday, cleared investment proposals to the tune of Rs 29,021 crore pertaining to 27 projects in IT, Energy, Tourism, Food Processing, Infrastructure and Industrial sectors. These investments will generate employment opportunities for 22,407 people.
So far, 15 SIPB meetings have approved investments worth Rs 9,03,726 crore, which are expected to generate employment for 8,58,082 people.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister made it clear that the Speed of Doing Business policy should be the guiding principle in all matters related to industrial projects. He emphasised that mega projects by reputed companies such as Google, ArcelorMittal and BPCL are in the pipeline, and instructed officials to ensure that there are no hurdles from government side.
A Ministers’ Committee should monitor the allotment of land to companies, and cancel approvals if any company fails to start work within the stipulated time, he said.
Naidu instructed officials to invite NRIs to invest on a large scale in the State. He said the government is ready to offer special incentives to attract more semiconductor projects, and suggested examining additional incentives for projects set up on privately owned land.
The Chief Minister said tourism should be developed across Visakhapatnam, Amaravati and Tirupati regions. He proposed forming clusters such as Suryalanka, Polavaram, Pulicat, Gandikota, Srisailam and Horsley Hills, and preparing a dedicated development plans. Establishing shopping malls, hotels, and similar facilities in these clusters will attract more tourists, he said.
He said, “Bharat Mandapam is coming up in Visakhapatnam, and it should be developed as an iconic structure, and the best convention centre in the country.” He also called for establishing Shilparamams in every district. More hotels and convention centres are needed across the State, including regions like Kakinada and Eluru, with a target of 50,000 hotel rooms. He said the State should also host national-level mega events.
The Chief Minister envisioned the establishment of ecosystems such as Sports City and Creative City, and stressed the need to significantly boost health tourism. He suggested setting up a culinary institute in Tirupati to promote the food sector in Andhra Pradesh, and encouraging hospitality-related deemed universities. He called for revolutionary changes in food processing.
He noted that value addition in aquaculture will help revive exports to the United States, and also boost dairy, poultry, livestock, and meat exports. He suggested developing Tirupati as a wedding destination. He directed that details of jobs already provided to youth be linked to the Skill Portal, and updated in real time, including information on available jobs. He also instructed officials to introduce a warehousing policy soon, and to prepare an action plan for setting up large-scale EV charging stations in Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Tirupati.
Ministers Nara Lokesh, Anagani Satya Prasad, TG Bharat, P Narayana, K Atchannaidu, Gottipati Ravi Kumar, BC Janardhan Reddy, Kandula Durgesh, Vasamsetti Subhash, and Chief Secretary K Vijayanand were present.