AP’s Industry Mission may pay off

Over last ten months the AP Chief Minister Nara Chandababu Naidu is driving the state to his last vestige of energy not only to rejuvenate the system but also to create an aura about the state resources including its manpower to attract global attention. Naidu is all geared to create an atmosphere and showcase the advantages of pockets of Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema as growth engines of the state.

In his endeavour, Naidu picks up Visakhapatnam in North Coastal Andhra, Nellore in south coastal Andhra and Anantapur in Rayalaseema as investment destinations or growth engines of the residual Andhra Pradesh.

A good and sound beginning was already made on these three pockets in the last regime with enough thrust, but now Naidu like to give thrust to those unfinished aspects with aggressive product specific incentives and also provide infrastructure with global technology and investment tie -ups from China, Japan and Singapore.

With whatever was inherited - both advantages and disadvantages - the visionary of Andhra Pradesh set out to market the state - a treasure cove of resources in minerals, gas, commercial agricultural products and skilled manpower.

After an initial investment drive in South East Asian countries like China and Japan Naidu now move to script the Industry Mission, a new initiative that set the state on the global industrial map.

The Chief Minister had showcased the ‘Industry Mission Document’ at a conclave of industrialists at the port city of Visakhapatnam, designated as Financial City of AP. He took the advantage of the bullish image built by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to lobby for Andhra Pradesh.

Naidu set an ambitious target to prepare state's industry sector contribute about 25 per cent to the GSDP in the next five years. At present the industry contributes 21 per cent to the GSDP. He also informed the industrialists that the state is working out a plan to intra-link Krishna and Godavari rivers flowing in the state, which will take away the water crisis.

A galaxy of industrialists from across the industry assembled to attend the launching function and also participated in the interactive session with the Chief Minister. This event also witnessed the unveiling of the state's industrial and sector specific policies, apart from the launch of a single-desk portal (that grants clearances for industrial projects within 21 days) and signed about 46 MoUs with the companies from Japan, UAE and Canada, thus garnering a potential investment of about Rs 35,745 crore, which may even create 75,000 jobs.

More so, it was a road show of Naidu to display that all the districts in the new residual state are industry ready with suitable environment for the industry specific.

As the official sources put it, the MoUs signed include the sectors petrochemicals, energy, infrastructure, electronics, manufacturing, food processing, textile and automobiles. If all these MoU materialize, the investment has potential to generate over 70,000 new jobs in the state.

On power, the state claimed as self sufficient in power for next three years. It proposed to launch PPP mode in the power transmission, besides developing a road map for construction of a 'Green Energy Corridor' with an investment of Rs 3,435 crore.

Interestingly, at the conclave the Chief Minister introduced the industrial policy document and highlighted the advantages of investing in Andhra Pradesh by positioning Visakhapatnam as the future destination for all global investments of AP.

The fact now is clear that globetrotting Chandababu Naidu would be fruitless, if conducive environment is not created within the state for attracting global investments in energy, infrastructure, electronics and manufacturing, food processing, textile and automobiles sectors.

Having a long coastline, Naidu could venture to promote container hub and manufacturing hub, but the hindrance would be the delay in the land legislation to enable usage of land on the coastline.

What Naidu has offered is an opportunity to investors to grow with the new state and become partners in the evolution of sound industrial towns in Andhra Pradesh.