VISAKHAPATNAM: The State government is working to promote industrial development and strengthen micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), Minister for MSMEs Kondapalli Srinivas said on Sunday.
Srinivas, along with Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha, visited the AP Chamber Expo-2026 at Gadiraju Palace and inspected various stalls. Addressing a gathering later, he said the government was encouraging such expos to promote entrepreneurship and create awareness about opportunities available to MSMEs.
The Minister stated that investments worth Rs 24 lakh crore had come to the State for industrial projects during the two years of the coalition government. The government plans to establish 175 MSME parks, one in each Assembly constituency. Of these, 19 parks have been inaugurated and 138 are under construction, while 2,876 units have commenced operations in the parks, he added.
Srinivas outlined plans to promote entrepreneurship through MSMEs, with the objective of encouraging at least one entrepreneur from every household. Steps were also being taken to address issues relating to bank loans through the government portal and improve energy efficiency in MSME parks.
He also mentioned initiatives to support food processing and manufacturing units through the National Research Development Corporation. The State has entered into an agreement with Meta for social media promotion of MSME products, while efforts are under way to facilitate access to global markets through platforms such as Flipkart and Amazon.
BJP State president P.V.N. Madhav stressed the need for region-specific industrial clusters, including fruit processing in Visakhapatnam and cashew processing in Palasa.
Visakhapatnam North MLA P. Vishnu Kumar Raju urged the government to acquire 10 acres for developing a dedicated facility for expos and exhibitions in the city. Collector M. Abhishikth Kishore welcomed the conduct of the expo and urged entrepreneurs to participate in the MSME Summit scheduled for October 7.
