Naidu to turn AP into a pharma hub

The State government is leaving no stone unturned to attract new investors in pharmaceutical and biotechnology. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu seemed committed to make the State one of the leading hubs for the aforementioned sectors in the country while speaking at the CITI Investors India Conference in Mumbai recently. The Chief Minister highlighted Visakhapatnam’s potential as one of the fastest emerging hubs in the State and the government’s plan to attract investors.

“We aim to build a life sciences hub in Andhra Pradesh, for which we have devised a single-desk mechanism on the lines of single window system that was launched in 2002. With this system we will be provide clearances in 21 days and the government will make provisions for deemed approvals and exemptions. We will also provide hand-holding services to investors, and enable them to file online applications," the Chief Minister said at the conference.

Post bifurcation, a major chunk of the bulk drug, formulation and biotechnology industry, based in Hyderabad and surrounding districts, has gone to Telangana State. Only a small portion of the industry is based in Visakhapatnam, Vijayanagaram and Nellore. While AP’s agriculture sector may be mightier than the neighbouring State, industrially it is lagging far behind. Particularly in the biotechnology field, AP does not have many units that manufacture vaccines.

Telangana State is blessed with well designed infrastructure layouts like Shamirpet Biotech Park, Jeedimetala bulk drugs industrial corridor, Patancheru industrial layout, Katedan industrial corridor, Kottur industrial areas, where hundreds of bulk drugs, formulations and biotechnology industries have set up base during Naidu’s regime as chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh during 1994 to 2003. Now, with the same spirit, Naidu plans to invigorate the pharma industry in the residual State and has carved out a pro-active industrial policy for the same.