VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu advised district collectors to be proactive in attracting investments to promote industries for wealth creation.
Addressing the Collectors Conference at the State Secretariat on Thursday, the Chief Minister said that steps should be taken to ensure investments coming to the State and grounding the projects at the earliest.
He stated that the government is developing Visakhapatnam, Amaravati and Tirupati regions under the Economic Region Development initiative.
Collectors must focus on investments, jobs, and increasing the per capita income in their districts. In the next collectors’ meeting, their performance in promoting industries will be reviewed, he stated.
If industries cannot be brought to a district, then tourism, IT, MSMEs or agriculture should be promoted depending on the strengths and advantages of the district. Development strategies should be based on local strengths and opportunities.
He said Collectors and Ministers should not wait for investors to come to them. Instead, they must identify investors and proactively approach them. He cited the example of Hyderabad, stating that consistent promotion led to the establishment of the Indian School of Business (ISB).
He also stressed the need to focus on infrastructure projects such as ports, airports, and railways. The Chief Minister also announced that the government is considering establishing an Electronics City near Hindupur.
Stating that the hospitality sector has huge potential, the Chief Minister said Andhra Pradesh has vast opportunities in the hospitality sector for which tourism has been granted industry status.
He noted that some countries have successfully developed tourism even in places with very few natural advantages, whereas Andhra Pradesh has numerous historical sites and pilgrimage centres.
Ancient monuments and structures with rich historical value must be encouraged and developed.
The state aims to create 50,000 hotel rooms across Andhra Pradesh, while also encouraging large-scale development of homestays.
He said due to global conflicts, domestic tourism is expected to grow as people prefer traveling locally instead of abroad.
Temple towns should be developed not only as spiritual destinations but also as places that provide mental relaxation and tourism experiences.
Chandrababu Naidu highlighted several key tourism destinations, including Papikondalu, Gandikota (India’s Grand Canyon) Suryalanka, which he said could be developed on par with Goa.
He said Thimmamma Marrimanu could become a major tourist destination if proper infrastructure is developed.
Kambham Cheruvu was described as Asia’s largest man-made water body, and a tourism project at Pulicat Lake should be handed over to reputed companies for development.
The government also plans to develop Disneyland and Bhavani Island in Vijayawada as tourism destinations.
The Chief Minister noted that Orvakal has already been developed as an industrial cluster, and with infrastructure such as an airport now available, it is expected to grow into a major industrial hub in the future. Similarly, Kopparthi in Kadapa district should also be developed as an industrial cluster.