Nara Lokesh Invites Global Investors To Build, Innovate And Grow In Andhra Pradesh

Visakhapatnam, November 12: Minister for Education, IT, Electronics and RTGS Nara Lokesh called upon global industrialists not merely to visit Andhra Pradesh, but to invest, innovate and grow here. He urged them not just to build their factories in the state but to make Andhra Pradesh their corporate home.

The 31st CII Partnership Summit commenced in grand style at the Andhra University Grounds in Visakhapatnam, in the presence of leading industrialists and business leaders.

Addressing the gathering, Minister Nara Lokesh said the summit's focus was on Trade, Technology and Trust. "In Andhra Pradesh, we want to give these three words a concrete shape and transform them into investments, partnerships and opportunities," he said.

He said the government offered its full support, that its doors would always remain open and that its teams would always be ready to assist. He added that the government was eagerly looking forward to working with the industrialists. He invited the delegates to enjoy Andhra Pradesh and, when they returned, to take back more than just memories: a plan to build their future in the state. He assured them of 100 per cent support from the government. The minister assured industrialists of the government's complete cooperation and support.

This Is Our Strength And Confidence

The Minister said Andhra Pradesh had a coastline of more than 1,000 kilometres. Visakhapatnam, the state's major port, along with its other ports, currently handled approximately 100 million tonnes of cargo annually.

He said four new greenfield ports were under construction at Ramayapatnam, Mulapeta, Machilipatnam and Kakinada, doubling the state's cargo-handling capacity.

He noted that many of the delegates had arrived that week at the new Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram. The airport, inaugurated in August, has a 3,800-metre runway designed to accommodate wide-body aircraft.

He sincerely thanked Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his continuous support in strengthening India's aviation infrastructure, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu for his efforts in taking the project forward, and GMR for turning the dream into reality.

Visakhapatnam Emerging As An IT City

Nara Lokesh said nearly 60 per cent of India's air conditioners were manufactured at a single location, Sri City, in Andhra Pradesh. He said approximately one-third of India's seafood exports by volume originated from the state's coastline, and nearly 80 per cent of India's shrimp exports came from its farms.

Andhra Pradesh produced more than 40 per cent of India's cocoa, he said, and more than 40 per cent of the country's dry chilli production came from the Guntur region. He joked that this was why the state's food was so spicy.

He described Andhra Pradesh as India's Fruit Bowl, the largest fruit-producing state in the country, accounting for approximately 16 per cent of national production.

The state also ranked first in the country in fish and egg production, and more than half of India's FCV tobacco production came from Andhra Pradesh, he said.

Calling the state's factories a testament to its capabilities, he pointed out that since Kia commenced production in Anantapur in 2019, nearly 1.9 million cars had rolled out of its plant, with exports reaching more than 90 countries.

At the same time, he said, Visakhapatnam was emerging as an IT city. Cognisant commenced operations there in January, and its permanent campus was being planned to accommodate approximately 25,000 employees. TCS had also commenced its operations in the city.

The Industrial Ecosystem Has Transformed Since We Took Office

The minister noted that this was the second Partnership Summit during the present government's tenure.

He said that since June 2024, Andhra Pradesh had received investment commitments worth Rs. 22.6 lakh crore, which he described as historic and unprecedented.

More importantly, he said, 73 per cent of these commitments had been converted into approved projects. These projects were worth Rs. 17.2 lakh crore and were expected to generate employment for 12.7 lakh people.

Of these, 51 per cent had reached the ground-level implementation stage. Projects worth Rs. 5.9 lakh crore, with the potential to create 7.4 lakh jobs, had commenced construction. He said this demonstrated the transformation of the state's industrial ecosystem.

He said LG Electronics was constructing a factory worth Rs. 5,000 crore at Sri City.

In Visakhapatnam, Google was investing USD 15 billion in an AI Hub, which would include a gigawatt-scale data centre campus and an international subsea cable gateway. This, he said, was the largest FDI in India's history.

Raymond Making Rapid Strides in the Defence Sector

The Minister said he wished to share how the government had contributed to the success stories of three major companies. He called the three approaches Flip, Scale and Incubation.

Flip: He said Raymond, whose name had been synonymous for generations with a leading Indian brand, manufactured some of the finest suits that money could buy and later ventured into housing as well. Raymond had now decided to make a strategic shift into aerospace and defence.

The government provided Raymond with land, incentives and plug-and-play infrastructure.

Raymond's projects, involving an investment of approximately Rs. 1,200 crore, included aerospace components at Tekulodu in Rayalaseema, automobile components at Gudipalli and an apparel park at Raptadu.

This was the first investment under the state's new Aerospace Policy, and the foundation stone for the project was laid at the same summit the previous year.

Within less than a year, Raymond had installed more than 30 machines at its temporary facility in Andhra Pradesh and was conducting trial runs. Meanwhile, construction of its main plant was also progressing.

Raymond's share price had more than doubled, and its aerospace, defence and engineering operations would commence shortly, he said.

Premier Energies Becomes India's Largest Solar Cell Manufacturer

Scale: The Minister said Premier Energies, one of India's established solar manufacturers, had been facing a unique challenge.

India's solar ambitions were growing rapidly, with the country targeting 500 GW of non-fossil fuel energy capacity by 2030. The Central Government had emphasised domestic manufacturing of solar cells rather than dependence on imports.

Premier Energies needed to rapidly build solar cell manufacturing capacity on a massive scale.

It approached the state government in early 2025, and the government provided plug-and-play infrastructure at Naidupeta.

He said that, within approximately 18 months, Premier Energies had established India's largest solar cell manufacturing plant.

Spread across 101 acres, the facility involved an investment of Rs. 3,293 crore and had a manufacturing capacity of 7 GW of N-type TOPCon solar cells. With this, Premier Energies had emerged as India's largest solar cell manufacturer.

A Small Company Is Set to Become a Major Industry Player

Incubation: The Minister said that in Machilipatnam there was an MSME called SSD Polymers, which had been delivering outstanding performance for more than 30 years.

SSD Polymers was the only Indian company to have received CEMILAC Type Approval from the Ministry of Defence for EMI-shielding conductive elastomer gaskets.

Its products were used in defence electronics and in aerospace, aviation, marine and naval applications, in India and abroad.

When the government launched Amaravati Quantum Valley, SSD Polymers was brought on board as a partner to manufacture components for quantum companies.

"A small company from a small town is now poised to grow into a major enterprise. That is the story of Andhra Pradesh," he said.

Speed, Stability and Service is Our Approach

The minister said the first pillar of the state's approach was speed, meaning the speed of doing business. The second was stability, meaning consistency and stability in policies. The third was service, meaning services on par with the private sector.

As an example, he said the government was introducing the payment of industrial incentives through escrow accounts. The incentives promised to industrialists would be transferred directly to them, without requiring them to run from office to office to claim them. He said that was what stability in implementation meant.

He said that when industrialists worked with the government, they were its clients, and that the government was committed to the highest standards of professionalism and customer service.

He invited industrialists to contact him directly on WhatsApp with any issue, suggestion or feedback and promised a response. He added that at times the government would respond faster than their own teams.

Investor Protection Act to Be Introduced

The minister announced that the government would introduce an investor protection act shortly.

He said the government would also hold discussions with the central government to explore the introduction of a similar act at the national level.

He said such legislation would provide greater confidence and assurance to industrialists and encourage them to invest.

Shift Your Corporate Headquarters to Andhra Pradesh!

"Do not just build a factory here. Shift your corporate headquarters to Andhra Pradesh," the minister urged. He listed five important reasons why industrialists should consider Andhra Pradesh their corporate home.

First – Quality of Life:

He said the state offered clean air, a beautiful coastline and cities without the kind of traffic congestion experienced in many other major cities.

Second – Talent:

He said the state's youth were ambitious, skilled and future-ready, and that colleges and ITIs were being aligned with the specific requirements of industry.

Third – Connectivity:

He said the state had a major port and four more new ports under construction. The new international airport at Bhogapuram offered direct connectivity to the Gulf region and Singapore.

Fourth – The Future Is Being Built Here:

He said Google's AI Hub was coming up in Visakhapatnam. In the capital city, Amaravati, IBM, in collaboration with TCS and L&T, was setting up a Quantum System Tool facility, targeting the commencement of operations in early 2027.

Fifth – Accessibility:

He said industrialists in Andhra Pradesh would not have to wait for months to get an appointment for a meeting. The Chief Minister, Ministers and he himself were always accessible, just a phone call or WhatsApp message away, he said.

The Minister reiterated that Andhra Pradesh was committed to providing a business-friendly environment built on Speed, Stability and Service, and invited global investors to make the state their preferred destination for investment, innovation and long-term growth.