Amaravati: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has reaffirmed his vision for the state’s most vibrant port city, saying Visakhapatnam would be developed “like Mumbai in the East”, transforming it into a major national center of commerce, technology, and employment by 2028. Speaking at the Cabinet meeting here on Friday, the Chief Minister told ministers to take the government’s achievements and investment initiatives directly to the people. Mentioning that the state currently has around 4.7 lakh people engaged in remote work, the Chief Minister directed officials to increase that number to one million, citing the rapid expansion of the IT sector as a key growth driver.

Naidu announced that the foundation stone for the ArcelorMittal–Nippon Steel integrated steel plant in Anakapalle district will be laid soon, marking a major milestone in Andhra Pradesh’s industrial expansion drive. The government has already secured 6,000 acres for the mega project, which is expected to anchor a new era of large-scale manufacturing and job creation in the region.

The Chief Minister stressed that Ministers must take charge of their departments, clarifying that while officials implement decisions, the accountability for performance rests with the Ministers themselves. “It is the Ministers who must contest elections, not the officials,” he said. The Chief Minister said Andhra Pradesh had never witnessed such a wave of industrial investment in his 15-year tenure, describing the recent approvals as an unprecedented moment for the State’s economic future.

Naidu said that the State’s consistent efforts had saved the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant from clos