Andhra Pradesh emerging as a progressive State, says Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu

Andhra Pradesh has been undergoing rapid transformation since the TDP and its allies, the JSP and BJP, came to power in June 2024, observes ​Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

Amaravati, the State’s greenfield capital city, is poised to become one of the most liveable cities, and Andhra Pradesh is set to evolve into a progressive State with the Central government’s support, he says, noting that works costing about ₹60,000 crore are going on at a brisk pace (in Amaravati).

“Amaravati, the State’s greenfield capital city, is poised to become one of the most liveable cities”N. Chandrababu NaiduChief Minister

Addressing the South Asia Learning Summit at the Indian School of Business (ISB) in Hyderabad on Sunday, Mr. Naidu said he was leading the State with a clear vision and plans for the short, medium and long terms, with due focus on adoption of technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and deep tech.

Mr. Naidu pointed out that he was, at the same time, not overly obsessed with development, as it should not be at the cost of welfare.

Andhra Pradesh had a major disruption in 2019-24, but it was quickly back on its feet, enabled by the decisive mandate given to the NDA in the 2024 elections, he said.

“Emphasis has since been laid on attracting investments and Andhra Pradesh is leading the race. This is evident from the foray of the likes of Google Inc. and ArcelorMittal – Nippon Steel,” he said.

Mr. Naidu recalled that undivided Andhra Pradesh had, under his stewardship, capitalised on the reforms initiated by former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, and even after bifurcation several years later, i.e. in 2014, the successor State persisted with the reform push and achieved commendable results in diverse fields, especially in the delivery of governance.

A fine balance was being maintained between welfare, development, and good governance, the Chief Minister said.

“The future belongs to Quantum, AI, and drones, and the State government has made significant progress in realising their potential, which few States are able to replicate,” he said.

Andhra Pradesh was already a major player in the renewable energy sector and citizen service delivery had improved a lot as WhatsApp and other technologies were rolled out, he noted.

He further noted that AI increased efficiency in facilitating darshan to lakhs of devotees visiting Tirumala, and keeping in view the adulteration of ghee used to make laddus, a modern laboratory was set up to test the quality of each one of the ingredients that go into the making of the laddu prasadam.

Further, the Chief Minister said that the Polavaram project was bound to be completed before the Godavari Pushkarams in 2027.

“The government is striving to achieve a sustained growth rate of 15% by duly focusing on agriculture, industry and services,” Mr. Naidu added.

ISB Dean Madan Pillutla, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Chairman Satish Reddy, Ex-Officio Special Secretary to the Chief Minister K. Vijayanand and others were present.