AP will be No 1 in electronics, IT sectors by 2029, says Nara Lokesh

Tirupati: Minister for IT & Panchayat Raj, Nara Lokesh has said, “The TD government’s aim is to make the state the number one in the country by 2029 in IT and electronics sectors, in which Chittoor, Nellore and Anantapur districts would be developed at par with China as an electronics manufacturing hub.”

Before leaving for the inauguration ceremony of Dixon Technologies’ India factory at Vikruthamala in Yerpedu Mandal near Tirupati, he held a review meeting with district officials of Nellore and Chittoor at the Padmavathi guest house in Tirupati on Thursday.

Addressing the officials, Nara Lokesh said that the infrastructure being provided by China to the companies was playing a pivotal role in their industrial sector development.

“Likewise, if we develop such infrastructure in Tirupati that could provide more facilities to the companies, Tirupati may soon become a venue for many IT and electronics industries,” he elaborated.

“Before touring China, my aim was to bring at least 100 companies to AP, but after the visit and seeing their industrial corridors, I made up my mind to bring 1000 more companies to our state by developing basic infrastructure here,” he added.

Claiming that AP had no competition in the country, Nara Lokesh said, “In the past, many industrialists showed interest to set up their industries in Noida, but except Samsung no other prominent companies set up their units in recent times.

Since four years, all the prominent players were lined up to set up industries in AP, and in the near future, our state will host top mobile manufacturing and consumer electronics industries along with MNCs such as Reliance Jio, Holitex, Flextronics, TCL etc,” he explained.        

In a bid to develop the state in the electronics sectors, Nara Lokesh said, “We have constituted a promotions team comprising 25 experts and also contemplating to set up desks in Europe, Taiwan and other countries to attract investments and major industries to the state,” he said.

Lokesh further maintained that the AP government had sanctioned Rs 600 crores in order to facilitate subsidy to the industries and if needed it would be increased to Rs 1000 crores.

Later, he added that the AP Chief Minister was planning to put a demand before the Centre to sanction bullet trains, linking five states of the southern part of the country, so that it could help the development of electronics and IT sectors in the state.