Development, decentralisation, SoDB

‘Education, IT, and Electronics Minister Nara Lokesh announced that the Andhra Pradesh government is actively promoting development decentralization and enhancing the Speed of Doing Business (SoDB), aiming to create 20 lakh jobs for youth in the next five years. He noted that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu recently unveiled six new policies aligned with this vision.
Minister Lokesh, who attended a roundtable with industrialists organised by the Consulate General of India in San Francisco, shared AP’s rapid strides in investment and industrial growth. Highlighting recent developments, he pointed to the successful launch of Kia Motors as an example of AP’s investor-friendly climate.
The state, he said, benefits from India’s second-largest coastline and has plans for four new ports, positioning it strategically for business and trade.
The government’s regional development plans include designating the Kurnool district as a “Drone Valley” and transforming the Chittoor and Kadapa districts into a major electronics hub. Currently, AP produces 25% of India’s cell phones and half of the country’s air conditioners. A biofuel ecosystem is also being developed in Prakasam district as part of the broader decentralization strategy.
In the capital region, development projects worth $5 billion will begin, with Amaravati’s construction scheduled to start in December. The government is focusing on various sectors: aqua exports, petrochemicals, and green hydrogen industries in the Godavari districts, and chemical and pharma sectors in North Andhra.
Additionally, a Civil Aviation University and data centre are set to be established in Visakhapatnam, the state’s financial capital, with TCS commencing operations soon. Lokesh underscored that AP is striving to become a global manufacturing hub, inspired by Prime Minister Modi’s vision of “Vikasit Bharat 2047.”
He encouraged industrialists from the US to invest in AP and join the state’s comprehensive development efforts.
Consulate General Srikar Reddy commended CM Naidu and Minister Lokesh’s commitment to attracting investments to Andhra Pradesh. He noted that the recent Drone Summit in Vijayawada was well-received and that the roundtable was organized to facilitate investment discussions with Indian industry leaders.
Prominent attendees included Indiaspora Founder MR Rangaswamy, Google VP Rao Surapaneni, A5 Corporation CEO Vinay Krithivendi, Applied Materials CTO Om Nalamasu, Pi Datacenter CEO Kalyan Muppaneni, and representatives from TCS, West Bridge Capital, and Silicon Andhra, among others.