San Francisco: Andhra Pradesh is pushing forward with decentralized development and a “speed of doing business” approach, according to State Education, IT, and Electronics Minister Nara Lokesh. Highlighting a goal to create 2 million jobs for youth over the next five years, Lokesh noted that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu recently introduced six policies aligned with this objective. Lokesh spoke as the chief guest at a roundtable meeting with industrial leaders, organized by Consul General of India in San Francisco, Srikar Reddy.
Lokesh emphasized Andhra Pradesh’s favorable investment environment, with key examples like KIA Motors highlighting the “speed of doing business.” The state plans to establish four new ports and develop Kurnool as a drone valley, along with a proposal to create an electronics hub in Chittoor and Kadapa districts. Andhra Pradesh is already producing 25% of India’s cell phones and 50% of the country’s air conditioners. A biofuel ecosystem is also underway in Prakasam district as part of the state’s decentralization strategy.
The minister revealed that development projects worth $5 billion are slated for the Krishna-Guntur Capital Region, with construction on Amaravati to commence in December. Andhra Pradesh’s northern coastal areas will focus on chemical and pharma industries, while aquaculture exports, petrochemicals, and green hydrogen are being prioritized in the Godavari districts. Plans are in place to establish a Civil Aviation University and data center in Visakhapatnam, with TCS operations set to begin soon. Under the leadership of Saikanth Varma, the EDB has been revamped to establish AP as a global manufacturing hub.
Minister Lokesh also called on U.S. industrialists from diverse sectors to invest in Andhra Pradesh’s growth. Andhra Pradesh aims to play a key role in India’s emerging data revolution, with an estimated $300 billion investment expected in the electronics sector.
Consul General of India, Srikar Reddy, highlighted efforts by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and IT Minister Lokesh to attract investments to Andhra Pradesh, mentioning the recent Drone Summit in Vijayawada as an impressive showcase.
The roundtable event in San Francisco was attended by several key figures, including Indiaspora Founder MR Rangaswami, Google VP Rao Surapaneni, Applied Materials CTO Om Nalamasu, A5 Corporation CEO Vinay Kruthiventi, and Solix Technologies CEO Sai Gundavelli, among other leaders from tech, finance, and venture capital sectors.