Andhra Pradesh will be most livable state: Chandrababu Naidu
Vishakapatnam, Feb 24, 2018
Andhra Pradesh will be among the top three investment destinations in India by 2022, the top destination by 2029 and the preferred destination, among the top five in the world, by 2050. These were the goals defined by Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Chandrababu Naidu at the CII Partnership Summit 2018 being organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in association with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, and the State Government of Andhra Pradesh in Visakhapatnam.
Speaking in the plenary session on “Sunrise Andhra Pradesh” , Mr Naidu said that it is his goal to make Andhra Pradesh the “happiest and most livable” state not only India, but the globe. Pointing out that Andhra Pradesh was chalking “consistent double-digit growth” , he said that in 2016-17 the state GDP grew by 11.61% and in the first quarter of 2017-18, the growth was 11.16%.
The state, he said, was focused on “inclusive growth” and paid equal attention to all sectors of the economy. He emphasised the criticality of agriculture and added that Andhra Pradesh was poised to become a “global hub of aquaculture” . The Chief Minister said that Andhra Pradesh led India in water management and said that the state will be “drought-free in 15 years” .
Mr Naidu also said that his administration was aiming to ensure that “there was at least one computer literate person and one entrepreneur in every family” . Andhra Pradesh has the potential become the top tourism destination with the sector growing at 21%.
The Chief Minister said that few leaders have had the “good fortune” of being in a situation to build a capital city from a scratch. He committed to building “Amaravati” , the new state capital, into “one of the top 5 cities in the world” .
Inviting investments into the state, he said that he will “personally guarantee that they will receive clearances in 21 days” for their projects and invited them to “sign the MoUs first” and then judge the state government on “how fast we move”.
An agreement was signed between Ms Anjali Joshi, VP, Google India and Mr Vijay Anand, Principal Secretary, IT, Andhra Pradesh in the presence of the Chief Minister to install wi-fi spots to link more than 25,000 Panchayats in the state.
Giving his special address at the session, Mr Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Minister of Civil Aviation, Government of India, said that what was refreshing and different the way Andhra Pradesh Government conducted its investor summit was that not only was the process transparent but there was also a “higher conversion rate of MoUs to actual projects than most states at an average 29%, whereas it averaged 12%-17% in the other states of India.”
Mr Nara Lokesh, Minister for IT, Panchayati Raj and Rural Development, Government of Andhra Pradesh said that after the bifurcation, the state Andhra Pradesh had to “start from a scratch and we have to grow at 15% year-on-year to achieve the ambitious goals set by the Chief Minister”.
Recounting the pleasant experience of working with the Andhra Pradesh Government, Mr Kenichi Yokoyama, Country Director, Asia Development Bank (ADB) said that the Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor (CVIC) being financed by the Bank, will transform the region through environmentally sustainable inclusive growth and regional integration; and will be “a gateway for global and domestic markets.”
Mr Kook Hyun Shim, MD & CEO, Kia Motors, India, said the company will roll out its first car models from its upcoming facility in Anantapur in the state by mid-2019. The first India manufacturing facility for the company is coming up over 213.7 hectares of land in Andhra Pradesh to produce 3 lakh cars annually, involving an investment of over $2 billion.
Mr Mukesh Aghi, President, US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), USA, said that in the last 20 years of his experience, there has been “no better CM and no better leader globally than Chandrababu Naidu” and complimented him on “his vision and execution.”
Mr N Amaranatha Reddy, Minister for Industries, Food Processing, Agri Business, Commerce and Public Enterprises, Government of Andhra Pradesh said that the state was trying to “create an SME cluster in every assembly constituency of Andhra Pradesh.”
Mr. Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII, who moderated the session, pointed out that of the 24 editions of Partnership Summits, Andhra Pradesh has hosted 7 of them. “This fact” , he said, “was a testimony to the Andhra Pradesh’s efficacy as an investment destination and the vision and performance of the chief minister.”