Vijayawada: The state moved to position itself as a major logistics hub on the East Coast, with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday approving the creation of the AP Logistics Infrastructure Corporation (AP-LInC), a state holding entity designed to attract large-scale investment and reduce logistics costs through integrated infrastructure planning.

In a review at the Secretariat, Naidu said AP-LInC will operate as the nodal agency responsible for linking ports, airports, inland waterways, road networks and cold-storage systems, with a mandate to address efficiency gaps and create end-to-end logistics solutions.

The government will appoint a managing director to lead the corporation and guide investment mobilisation. The Chief Minister instructed officials to establish district-level cells to expand logistics capacity even in remote areas.

The move is in sync with Naidu’s broader plan to brand Andhra Pradesh as the gateway of the East Coast, leveraging its geographic advantage and multimodal cargo potential. The state government is preparing to launch both a logistics university and a civil aviation university to support specialised workforce development and long-term sector depth.

The Chief Minister recently told industry leaders at the East Coast and Logistics Summit in Visakhapatnam, hosted by the Global Forum for Sustainable Transformation and Maritime Gateway, that logistics plays a pivotal role in economic expansion and employment generation. He said the sector’s contribution to the state GSDP stands at 1 per cent, and the government aims to raise it to 3 per cent by scaling infrastructure and service capacity.

Andhra Pradesh currently operates six ports, with four more under development. Naidu said the administration intends to create a port or fishing harbour every 50 kilometres across the state’s 1,050-km coastline. AP ranks second in sea-cargo movement, with neighbouring states, including Telangana, Maharashtra, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and parts of Karnataka, depending on AP ports for maritime freight.

An advisory body comprising 20 experts from port-led and shipping industries will be formed to guide the State’s long-term logistics strategy and help convert Andhra Pradesh into the most competitive logistics hub on India’s eastern seaboard.