AP will be electronics major in the country: Lokesh

Tirupati: Andhra Pradesh has geared up to emerge as electronic major with Tirupati as the main platform so as to take care of half of the country’s electronic goods requirements including consumer products, defence and medical equipment, said IT and Panchayat Raj Minister Nara Lokesh.

The country’s total utilisation of electronic goods is estimated to touch six lakh crore by 2040, Lokesh said seeking the officials to prepare the required plans to turn the State as an electronic manufacturing hub to corner 50 per cent i.e. three lakh crore worth manufacturing in the next 20 years.

The IT Minister held a meeting with State IT, Electronics and district officials of Chittoor and Nellore districts here on Thursday to take stock of the available infrastructure facilities including land, water, power and roads required for setting up industries.

He said he realised that the State had lot more to do to boost up electronic industries after his week-long recent visit to China where excellent basic infrastructure facilities were available for electronic industries.

“First I targeted to bring 100 electronic companies to the State but now set it to 1,000 after China visit,’’ he said adding that there is enormous scope for electronics industries in Nellore, Chittoor and Anantapur districts.

In this connection, he said there was no big competition to AP in the country as even Noida in UP is having only few companies functioning while in the State many more major mobile and consumer electronics companies agreed to set up their units and some including Foxconn, Xiaomi, Jio, Holy Tech and Flextronics have already started functioning.

Stating that for the first time, the Chinese companies were coming outside to set up their units in the State, he said there is every need to improve facilities to international standards to avoid difficulties to manufacturers coming here.

The government, he said on its part set up `special desk’ to lure the companies in Taiwan, Europe and China and was also ready to increase the budget allocation to Rs 1,000 crore against the present Rs 600 crore budget allocation to extend concessions to the companies.

Besides, the government has also brought out a new electronics policy and a special action plan covering the entire gamut of electronics - Design to Death covering from chip design to e-waste management, he averred.

Towards boosting up electronic industries, the Chief Minister was contemplating to seek the Centre to introduce bullet train in South also to link the five States in the region which if materialised will further boost electronic and IT industries in the State, Lokesh said exerting the officials to draw a plan keeping in view the requirements for the next 20 years covering housing, school, hospital, hotel and entertainment facilities also for the industries.

Later, Lokesh addressed a meeting along with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at Dixon company and said that there was no development in the State till 1994 and added that people in the State are averse to film actors and favouring only political brand ambassador Chandrababu Naidu, amidst loud applause from the gathering.

Without naming, he said two YSRCP MLAs were working overtime to criticise the Chief Minister and dared the Opposition parties for a public debate on generation of employment in the State after the TDP came to power to prove where jobs came or not to the youth.

He said that employment to 60,000 people is assured in the coming days in electronic industries in the State. Industries Minister N Amaranatha Reddy said it was the foresight of CM Naidu that the backward Rayalaseema was witnessing a phenomenal industrial growth to speed up its development.