Naidu pushes faster conversion, grounding of investment projects

Amaravati: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday reviewed preparations for the 31st CII Partnership Summit-2026, scheduled to be held in Visakhapatnam on November 12 and 13, and directed officials to focus on converting investment proposals into projects and ensuring their early grounding.

The Chief Minister said the Partnership Summit should not be confined to the signing of MoUs, but should generate actual investment activity, encourage aspiring entrepreneurs and strengthen the Andhra Pradesh brand as an investment destination.

Reviewing the investment pipeline, Naidu directed departments to convert 80 per cent of investment proposals by the end of October and ensure that 75 per cent of the converted projects are grounded.

Officials informed him that since June 2024, the State has signed MoUs for 714 projects involving investments of Rs 22.57 lakh crore. Of these, 473 projects worth Rs 16.6 lakh crore have been converted, while 247 converted projects have already been grounded.

As part of the preparations for the summit, the government will organise five regional conferences between October 7 and 26 in Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Guntur, Anantapur and Tirupati.

The conferences will focus on the investment opportunities and industrial strengths of the respective regions.

The Visakhapatnam conference on October 7 will focus on AI, data centres, IT and fintech, semiconductors, GCCs, pharma and med-tech. Kakinada on October 12 will focus on maritime, shipbuilding, chemicals, green hydrogen, ammonia, aqua exports and food processing. Guntur on October 16 will showcase capital city development, urban infrastructure, Quantum Valley and emerging technologies. Anantapur on October 23 will focus on aerospace, defence, automotive, natural farming, horticulture, food processing and renewable energy, while Tirupati on October 26 will focus on tourism, hospitality, electronics manufacturing, semiconductors, advanced materials, automotive, space and footwear.

Naidu directed officials to organise an MSME Showcase at each regional conference and introduce a Shark Tank-style platform to connect startups with potential investors.

He also asked officials to link the Ratan Tata Innovation Hubs with the conferences and prepare an action plan for laying foundation stones for MSME parks in another 30 constituencies before the summit.

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