Andhra Pradesh is a vibrant economy with a robust industrial base and a young talent pool. With the second longest coastline of 974 km and a well-connected road, rail and port infrastructure, the State contributes to about 5% to the national GDP, making it an ideal destination for investment, Minister of IT, Electronics and Skill Development Mekapati Goutham Reddy has said.
Delivering the keynote address at the Defence Electronics and Start-up Interoperability Conclave (DESI-2021), with special focus on ‘Make in Andhra Pradesh’, in Visakhapatnam on Monday, he pointed out that Andhra Pradesh was recently ranked number one in ease of doing business by the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, (DPIIT), Government of India.
“Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is keen on developing resources, infrastructure capabilities and upskilling the talent pool,” he said.
Mr. Goutham Reddy said that the State government had launched several initiatives in education, skill development and health, while focusing on utility support such as last-mile transport, internet connectivity and e-governance.
“The State is offering financial and technical support to students and focussing on skill universities and colleges with industry-relevant curricula. We have employability skill centres which train students on skills needed for employment,” he said.
Referring to the defence sector, he said the Centre was aiming at achieving about 25 billion USD turnover by 2025, of which the export target would about 5 billion USD.
“As a country, we are in that transition phase from being a net importer towards being a net exporter. Our state-of-the-art design and manufacturing capabilities is soaring. However, we need to explore more opportunities, investments and innovations to meet the sectoral goals,” said the Minister.
Pointing out that many defence organisations such as DRDO, ISRO, NSTL and NRDC have bases in Andhra Pradesh, he said with a vibrant and evolving business ecosystem, well-connected supply chain, it can be utilised by the organisations and the state could be a forerunner with the investor-friendly policies.
Startup ecosystem
The Minister further said that the State government had been focusing on setting up business and technology incubators to provide an innovation-friendly atmosphere to the budding entrepreneurs. “Our incubation activities under the umbrella of Andhra Pradesh Innovation Services (APIS) have been planned to attract entrepreneurs and innovators to set up shop in the State,” he said.
The State is mulling setting up of more Centres of Excellence and start-up accelerators, besides providing mentorship support through industry veterans and experts.
“We are focusing on strengthening the R&D facilities through more centres of excellence and advanced technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), additive technologies and 3D printing. With the future tilting towards smart manufacturing, smarter workforces and e-waste management, Andhra Pradesh could be the perfect destination for nurturing startups,” said Mr. Goutham Reddy.
The programme was organised by the Dept of IT, Electronics and Communication Technology and A.P. Electronics and Information Technology Agency. Tourism Minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao and CEO of APEITA also spoke on the occasion.
