VISAKHAPATNAM: Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan on Friday said Andhra Pradesh had attracted investments worth Rs 22 lakh crore since June 2024, noting that the State was making progress towards the goals of ‘Swarna Andhra’ and ‘Viksit Bharat’.
Addressing the valedictory session of the 31st CII Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam, he said the Summit’s theme, ‘Navigating the New World Order’, reflected the need for countries and industries to adapt to changing global economic conditions. He called for a ‘work together, grow together, share prosperity’ approach and emphasised strengthening domestic manufacturing, MSMEs and digital public infrastructure to improve India’s global competitiveness.
In his address, CM N Chandrababu Naidu highlighted the investment commitments secured at the two-day summit, with 303 proposals involving investments of Rs 9.89 lakh crore. These span manufacturing, food processing, education, healthcare, aviation and automobiles, among other sectors. Reliance has proposed investments worth Rs 2.43 lakh crore, while Kia has committed Rs 18,800 crore to manufacture an additional two lakh cars annually.
Naidu said that of the 714 investment proposals received since 2024, 522 were under active implementation. The government was working to attract investments across all regions and ensure that proposed projects moved towards implementation. Six preparatory meetings were also held ahead of the Summit to attract investments. He also outlined the State’s plans in artificial intelligence and renewable energy. Through the ‘One Family, One AI’ initiative, the government aims to develop AI skills among people, building on the opportunities created by the IT revolution.
Andhra Pradesh has set a renewable energy generation target of 160 GW against the national target of 500 GW. The government also plans to promote rooftop solar installations across households and encourage women, particularly DWCRA members, to become entrepreneurs. Naidu stated infrastructure projects such as Bhogapuram International Airport, the revival of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and the South Coast Railway Zone had been taken forward with the Centre’s support. He also stressed that attracting investments should go hand in hand with protecting them and ensuring timely execution.
On social development, he mentioned that the P4 programme was launched to improve the living standards of poor families through mentorship and support. So far, one lakh mentors had adopted 11 lakh families. He appealed to economically well-off sections to come forward and support underprivileged households, stressing that financial assistance, along with guidance, could help families become self-reliant. He also referred to Andhra Pradesh securing the second position in the country in the Access Equality Index.
Raising the issue of water security, the Chief Minister called for linking the Godavari and Cauvery rivers to address the water requirements of southern States. He urged Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to resolve water-sharing disputesamicably
Governor S Abdul Nazeer said cooperative federalism between the Centre and the State had accelerated major infrastructure projects.
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, State Ministers and senior CII representatives, including president R Mukundan, president-designate Suchitra K Ella and Director-General Chandrajit Banerjee, attended the concluding session.
