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SIPB clears Rs 22,178-cr investment proposals
In Short
Focus shifts to hardware, shipbuilding and logistics
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Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu chairing the 21st SIPB meeting in the Secretariat on Friday
Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh is moving to recast its investment strategy by shifting focus to integrated industrial ecosystems rather than isolated projects, with the State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) approving 28 proposals worth Rs 22,177.84 crore and Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu setting a six-month window for approved projects to move towards execution.
The projects, cleared at the 21st SIPB meeting chaired by Naidu at the Secretariat on Friday, are projected to create 19,739 jobs across energy, IT and communications, manufacturing, food processing, and tourism sectors.
The immediate test for the investment pipeline will be execution. For, Naidu has directed officials to monitor every approved project and ensure that work commences within six months, reflecting a remarkably quick shift from investment commitments to actual grounding and production.
The larger strategy is to build clusters around sectors the state expects to drive the next phase of manufacturing. Naidu directed officials to develop Kopparthy, Tirupati, and Lepakshi as electronics hubs capable of attracting investments in semiconductors, chip manufacturing, and robotics. He called for infrastructure that connects electronics manufacturing with research, design, ancillary industries, technology, and skilled manpower.
A similar ecosystem is being planned around quantum technology and high-performance computing, with officials asked to facilitate research and manufacturing institutions and develop allied industrial clusters around the proposed drone and space cities.
Industries Minister Nara Lokesh said discussions were under way with Taiwan on developing an electronics and hardware manufacturing ecosystem in AP.
Ports and logistics are another major plank. Naidu asked officials to commercially utilise land available around ports and prepare integrated plans combining logistics, shipbuilding and warehousing, manufacturing, and ancillary industries. He called for connectivity among ports and rail, road, air cargo, and inland waterways to position AP as a logistics hub.
The state is also looking to expand shipbuilding beyond cargo vessels to meet defence and tourism requirements, while developing fishing harbours along the coastline.
The investment push includes a substantial shipbuilding proposal from the Goa Shipyard Limited at Machilipatnam, with an investment of Rs 8,000 crore and employment potential of 3,000 direct and 5,000 indirect jobs. Other major proposals include Rs 3,078 crore investment from M Venkata Rao Infra Projects, Rs 3,000 crore from My Home Industries, Rs 1,388.14 crore from Ravox Agritech and Rs 1,127 crore investment from Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages.
The SIPB also approved a cluster-oriented approach to rare earth minerals, with Naidu directing officials to integrate mineral processing with value-added manufacturing and research.
On the energy side, officials reported that investments involving generation of 113.75 GW had been secured against the state’s 160 GW green-energy target. Naidu called for greater use of pumped storage and battery storage and asked officials to examine onshore wind potential.
The government is simultaneously positioning skills as an industrial infrastructure requirement. Officials were asked to begin skill mapping from 10th class and align programmes with Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs (PM-SETU). Minister for IT and HRD Nara Lokesh stressed specialised skills in materials research. The meeting discussed the setting up of a Cement Centre of Excellence backed by cement companies.
The SIPB also directed a review of opportunities for women entrepreneurs and promotion of the One Family–One Entrepreneur approach to expand MSMEs.
With the Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam about 50 days away, Naidu directed officials to ground previous investment agreements before the event. He also ordered steps to establish escrow accounts for investor incentives.
The 21 SIPB meetings held so far have cleared 387 projects with a potential investment of Rs 14.05 lakh crore and employment potential of 10.79 lakh people, making implementation of the existing pipeline a key test for the state’s investment strategy.
