Andhra Pradesh shines in ease of doing business: CM N Chandrababu Naidu
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday said the State is among the best in India for ease and speed of doing business. He assured industry leaders that his government will remain open and accessible.
Speaking at the CII–Global Capability Center Business Summit in Visakhapatnam, also attended by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Mr. Naidu said Andhra Pradesh has a skilled workforce ready for industry needs. With the same party in power at both the Centre and the State, he added, double-digit growth is within reach.
Mr. Naidu praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “the right leader at the right time” and said India is on track to become the world’s third-largest economy by 2028. Andhra Pradesh, he noted, is targeting a $2.4 trillion economy by 2047.
The Chief Minister outlined plans to support entrepreneurship under the slogan One Family–One Entrepreneur. He said innovation will be driven by the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub. Challenges after bifurcation have been addressed, he added, though governance setbacks between 2019 and 2024 slowed progress. “Now, we have a responsible government,” he said.
On infrastructure, Mr. Naidu announced that the Bhogapuram International Airport will open by August next year. Airports in Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati, Rajahmundry, Kadapa, Orvakallu, and Puttaparthi are already improving connectivity, while Amaravati will get a new international airport.
He said Andhra Pradesh’s long coastline will power port-led industries and boost logistics. Ports, airports, roads, and railways will be linked under the PPP model. Plans also include a bullet train between Hyderabad, Amaravati, and Chennai. Amaravati, he added, is being developed as a greenfield capital between Vijayawada and Guntur.
Mr. Naidu also announced that a Google data centre will open in Visakhapatnam next month. The State will also host India’s first Quantum Valley. He said digital health records are being developed under the Sanjeevani Project with support from the Bill Gates Foundation, while government offices are being connected through a Data Lake.
The Chief Minister said services are now being delivered through WhatsApp Governance, allowing citizens to rate them. He welcomed the Centre’s move to simplify GST slabs and called it a “game changer.”
The summit was attended by CII past president R. Dinesh, task force chairman Gunjan Samtani, co-chairman Romal Shetty, and director-general Chandrajit Banerjee.