Vijayawada : The new capital of Andhra Pradesh being developed near here will be world-class, a cynosure of all eyes and a model for the entire country, Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan said Monday.
Speaking at the Republic Day parade here, he said the state government has decided to build a world-class capital. “I am confident this will be cynosure of all eyes and a model for the entire country and perhaps one of the best on the planet.”
The governor assured the existing farmland owners that they would be made willing partners in the development of the capital and will benefit from enhanced economic opportunities.
Narasimhan said the state has already entered into an agreement with the government of Singapore to be partner in development of new capital by providing technology, knowledge and investments. The government of Japan also has offered to participate in this initiative.
This was the first Republic Day celebration after bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and carving out of a separate Telangana state.
The governor said the government was working on a new mechanism to develop several industrial hubs to make development inclusive and provide job opportunities to the youth. Various districts will be made education, Information Technology and industrial hubs.
Claiming that the state focused on attracting industrial investments during last seven months, Narasimhan said 13 mega companies have offered to invest Rs.12,280 crore.
“On the day when my government completed 100 days, a slew of MoUs were signed which will bring Rs.80,000 crore investment to the state,” said Narasimhan.
He also referred to the development of Visakhapatnam-Chennai industrial corridor and Bangalore-Chennai industrial corridor via Anantapur and Chittoor with the help of the centre government to augment establishment of new industries.
The Asian Development Bank has come forward to help establish industrial zones with an outlay of $2.5 billion as part of Viskhapatnam-Chennai corridor. Five industrial zones are proposed at Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Machilipatnam, Anantapur and Srikalahasti to attract investment from various Asian and European countries.
Reiterating the government’s vision to make Andhra Pradesh one of the top three states in the country by 2022 and best state by 2029, he said it was keen to tap best of the talent and resource available in any part of the world.
The government is actively engaged with governments and companies of Japan, Singapore and Australia for inviting investment and technology transfer.
He referred to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s recent visit to Japan and the MoUs signed with Japanese companies and institutions.
Narasimhan said the government planned to develop a tourist island on the lines of a popular park in Singapore over 250 acres. Countries like Japan, Taiwan and Singapore are evincing interest to invest $25 million in this area, he added.
The IT policy of the state envisages broad band connectivity to every household and having at least one entrepreneur and one e-literate in every family. It has set a target of initial investment of Rs.12,000 crore in IT sector and Rs.30,000 crore in manufacturing sector.
It aims to achieve five percent share in national IT exports and plans to develop two Information Technology Investment Regions (ITIRs), 10 IT hubs, 20 manufacturing clusters and create five lakh jobs.
The governor said the government has embarked on a major programme of converting three major cities into mega cities and 13 others into smart cities, endowed with all modern amenities.
He appealed to people to participate in smart village and smart ward programme, to ensure clean, healthy, happy and self sustaining villages and towns, which harness the power of knowledge and technology in becoming prosperous.
Referring to the plans for port development, he said with 974 km long coastline, Andhra Pradesh has the potential to be logistic hub of South East Asia.
It also has potential to become a manufacturing hub, which will enable companies to export manufactured goods to any South East Asian country. Proximity to Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and other countries is an advantage to the state.