Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government isset to launch ‘Naipunyam’, a new skill development portal, on September 1.

Announcing this at the Green Energy Conference here on Wednesday, Education and IT Minister Nara Lokesh emphasised that the portal would be a key tool for connecting the state's youth with relevant job opportunities, particularly in emerging sectors like green energy.

The portal will be operated in collaboration with the AP Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC). Its primary goal is to provide industry-specific training and serve as a bridge between skilled talent and the private sector, both domestically and internationally. Lokesh outlined the government's plan to develop industrial clusters across the state to decentralise economic growth and attract investments. Each cluster will focus on a specific sector like Anantapur (automobile manufacturing); Kurnool (renewable energy); Kadapa and Chittoor (electronics manufacturing; Nellore (specialised manufacturing, including air conditioning); Prakasam (compressed bio-gas (CBG):

Guntur and Krishna (‘Quantum Valley’ hubs); and north Andhra (pharma, IT, data centers, and medical device manufacturing).

Lokesh highlighted the positive impact of such initiatives on rural communities, citing the example of a woman in Anantapur who became financially independent after securing a job at a Kia Motors ancillary unit. "We want to replicate that impact across the state, especially for women and rural youth," he said.

He also mentioned that Suzlon had already established two skill training centers in the state.