Pawan seeks people-centric investments

Kakinada: Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on Monday called upon industrialists to partner in Andhra Pradesh’s development, stressing that investments should create employment, improve people’s lives and promote environmentally sustainable industrial growth.

Addressing the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) regional conference at JNTU in Kakinada, he said the coalition government had changed its approach towards investors by focusing on their contribution to society rather than seeking personal benefits from industries.

“During the previous government, industrialists faced a situation in which they were asked, ‘What will you give us if you establish an industry?’ The coalition government is following a different tradition by asking investors what they will contribute to the State and its people,” he said.

Pawan Kalyan said investment proposals worth Rs 6,347 crore in Kakinada would create fresh opportunities for industrial development. Sixteen memoranda of understanding involving Rs 4,652 crore and the foundation-laying of four projects worth Rs 2,090 crore were expected to generate around 18,000 jobs in Kakinada and its surrounding areas.

He said Andhra Pradesh had attracted proposals for 714 projects worth Rs 22.6 lakh crore since June 2024 under the leadership of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, with the potential to provide 7.1 lakh jobs. The government was facilitating speedy approvals and providing incentives to encourage industrial growth, he added.

Citing the development of Singapore and Switzerland, the Deputy Chief Minister said determination, unity and collective effort could transform a region. He urged entrepreneurs not to focus solely on profits but also to contribute to society through corporate social responsibility initiatives, citing industrialist Jamsetji Tata as an inspiration.

Pawan said Andhra Pradesh’s 1,053-km coastline offered vast opportunities in maritime industries, shipbuilding, green hydrogen, chemicals, food processing and aquaculture. However, he stressed that protecting the coastline and preserving the environment were as important as industrial development. “Industrial development and environmental protection must move forward together,” he said.

He also appealed to industrialists to extend investments to rural and tribal areas, where the government was developing roads, drainage and other infrastructure with an outlay of Rs 1.70 lakh crore, to ensure that development reached all sections of society.

Roads and buildings minister B C Janardhan Reddy said the government aimed to develop Kakinada into a major international logistics and export hub by integrating ports, roads, railways and waterways, highlighting the state’s cargo-handling growth and the ongoing development of Kakinada Gateway Port.

Tourism minister Kandula Durgesh invited investors to explore opportunities in hotels, resorts, caravan tourism, homestays and eco-tourism, stating that the State’s tourism policy and industrial status for the sector had helped attract investments worth Rs 20,000 crore over the past two-and-a-half years.

Industries minister T G Bharath, MPs Tangella Uday Srinivas, Harish Madhur and Sana Satish Babu, CII Andhra Pradesh vice-chairman G Sambasiva Rao, industrialists and officials attended the meeting.

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