AP govt will support companies: IT Minister

Visakhapatnam: IT and Industries Minister Gudivada Amarnath clarified that the YSRCP government will deal strictly with the companies that emit high levels of pollution and that the government will extend all its support to the ones operating without harming the public.

Speaking at a media conference here on Saturday, the minister said notices were issued after finding that pollution emission from Amara Raja Batteries Ltd.

However, they approached the High Court which advised the government that legal measures can be taken to control the pollution.

Challenging the High Court verdict, the management of Amara Raja went to the Supreme Court, he added. Amarnath mentioned that Telugu Desam Party chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu's Heritage Foods industry is spread across Andhra Pradesh. "Is the YSRCP government anywhere involved in affecting their business? Can Naidu run the company in AP if the state government views industries from a political perspective?" he questioned.

Further, the IT Minister said Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was determined to bring more industries to the state and provide employment to thousands of people.

Amarnath explained that the industrial progress in the state is significant and AP's GDP is two percent higher than the country's GDP. The minister disclosed that in the past six months, many industries have been started in the state and foundation stones laid for several others.

He stated that the government is making a strategy to industrially strengthen the long coastline of the state.

About 45 percent of the aqua exports across the country is from AP, the minister told the media.

The minister said of the Rs 16 lakh crore invested in the partnership summits held thrice in Visakhapatnam when Naidu was the Chief Minister, only Rs 34,000 crore worth of investments had emerged out of it.