Andhra CM orders action plan for developing Visakha economic region

Amaravati, Nov 10 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Monday directed the officials to prepare an action plan for the development of the Visakha economic region, covering Srikakulam to Konaseema.

He said necessary policies should be formulated to attract investments in the Visakha economic region.

The Chief Minister conducted a review meeting at the Secretariat here on the Visakha economic region to make it a growth hub for the state.

Visakha economic region is likely to attract investments to the tune of $100 to 115 billion, including $15 billion from the Central government sectors and $85 billion from the private sector, according to an official release.

The Chief Minister said priority should be given to improve cargo handling right from Mulapet port in Srikakulam to Kakinada port, as the ports serve as cargo handling centres for Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. He said the coastline should be developed as an East-West coastal corridor.

Focus should be on developing green energy projects in the economic region, as Visakhapatnam is going to emerge as a global IT hub with the setting up of the Next Gen AI data centre by Google. He said Visakhapatnam should be developed as a health care hub and medical tourism should be promoted. At the same time, efforts should be made to meet the growing demand for housing.

The officials suggested to the Chief Minister that a Visakha economic region authority be constituted.

Meanwhile, the state government on Monday released the agenda of the CII Partnership Summit, scheduled to be held in Visakhapatnam on November 14-15. The theme of the event is "Technology, trust and trade: Navigating the new geoeconomic order.

The state government said 410 MoUs worth Rs 9.8 lakh crore will be signed during the summit.

Chief Minister Naidu, Central ministers Nirmala Sitharaman (Finance), Piyush Goyal (Commerce and Industry) and Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, Electronics and IT) will address the summit.

--IANS

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