AP Chambers welcomes Escrow sops framework

Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation (AP Chambers) has welcomed the state government’s announcement of an Escrow mechanism for industrial incentives, describing it as a confidence-enhancing reform aligned with global investment standards.

Congratulating the government on what it labelled an “outstanding” Partnership Summit 2025 in Visakhapatnam, the industry body said the event delivered high-quality, pre-vetted MoUs and a regionally balanced investment pipeline, signalling a credible rebound in investor sentiment.

Chambers president Potluri Bhaskara Rao said the summit set a new benchmark by ensuring that commitments were serious, verified and geographically diversified, unlike earlier cycles where announcements were concentrated and speculative.

He noted that such equitable allocation could deepen industrialisation beyond metropolitan clusters and create broad-based employment.

The Chamber stressed that MSMEs remain the critical lever for job creation, value addition and rural prosperity, urging the State to prioritise cost-competitiveness through lower power and logistics burdens. It called the Escrow framework “a commendable transparency reform”, arguing that time-bound disbursal of incentives will stabilise cash flows, especially for smaller enterprises. It further pressed for expedited clearance of pending dues to sustain investor morale and support the government’s “One Entrepreneur, One Family” ambition.

Members of AP Chambers signed MoUs across food processing, aquaculture, textiles, automobiles, tourism, hospitality and MSME-linked manufacturing, with the organisation estimating that more than half of the total Rs 13-lakh-crore commitments could convert into grounded projects subject to continued policy consistency.

As part of its investment-promotion agenda, AP Chambers will host a Business Expo in Vijayawada from 12–14 December 2025, featuring sector-focused sessions, B2B meetings and product showcases. The body said Andhra Pradesh is now strategically positioned to expand into data centres, renewable energy, electronics, food processing, AI, quantum and other sunrise sectors, and pledged to work with government and industry stakeholders to convert commitments into operational assets.