The 23rd edition of the CII Partnership Summit-cum-Second Sunrise Andhra Pradesh Investment Summit got off to a colourful start here on Friday with Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley praising the leadership of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. The Centre would go the extra mile to develop the State on all fronts, the Minister said.
Mr. Jaitley was speaking at the inaugural address at the sea-facing APIIC grounds, Harbour Park, in the presence of the Chief Minister, Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, Civil Aviation Minister P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Minister of State for Commerce Nirmala Sitharaman.
About 2,000 delegates, including 350 from 50 countries, are attending the two-day summit being held here for the second successive year.
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‘Vibrant economy’
Terming A.P.’s double-digit growth in the past two years as “incredible” in the context of the worldwide economic slowdown, Mr. Jaitley exuded confidence that it would grow at 4% to 5% more than the nation’s GDP in the next few years.
“Despite injustice meted out to A.P. at the time of division by the previous government, the State is able to attract investors from all over the world due to its pro-active policies. It is emerging as a vibrant economy on the east coast. A.P.’s plus point is it has a strong leadership with a clear direction,” he said. Mr. Jaitley said the sanction of Polavaram project as a national one by the NDA government would make A.P. an “agriculture powerhouse.” Its ranking by the World Bank as No.1 State in ease of doing business would attract many investors.
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CM’s appeal to investors
Making a strong pitch to investors to make A.P. the best place to live with a high happiness index by 2029, Mr. Naidu rolled out the red carpet to corporates to partner with the State to build Amaravati as a futuristic city.
Mr. Naidu said people of the State were known for their hard work and entrepreneurship.
He said because of his pro-active policies, the State had signed 328 MoUs envisaging an investment of ₹4.67 lakh crore during the first Partnership Summit.