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Amaravati, March 12 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday announced that the government is considering the proposal to establish an Electronics City near Hindupur.

CM Naidu also announced that a Creative City will be established in Amaravati to encourage content creators, AI, film and creative industries, aiming to boost the creative economy in the state.

Addressing the district Collectors’ conference on the second day, he stated that the government is developing the Visakhapatnam, Amaravati, and Tirupati regions under the Economic Region Development initiative.

The Chief Minister noted that Orvakal (in Kurnool district) has already been developed as an industrial cluster, and with infrastructure such as an airport now available, it is expected to grow into a major industrial hub in the future.

Similarly, Kopparthi in Kadapa district should also be developed as an industrial cluster.

According to an official release, he advised district Collectors to be proactive in attracting investments to promote industries for wealth creation.

He said Collectors and ministers should not wait for investors to come to them. Instead, they must identify investors and proactively approach them.

The Chief Minister said meetings should also be organised in districts to promote investments. He announced that the government will introduce district-wise rankings based on the speed of doing business.

"If industries cannot be brought to a district, then tourism, IT, MSMEs or agriculture should be promoted depending on the strengths and advantages of the district. Development strategies should be based on local strengths and opportunities," he said.

Chief Minister Naidu said Collectors must focus on how many investments, jobs, and increases in per capita income are achieved in their districts. In the next Collectors’ conference, their performance in promoting industries will be reviewed.

He also emphasised the need to focus on infrastructure projects such as ports, airports, and railways.

Stating that the hospitality sector has huge potential, the Chief Minister said Andhra Pradesh has vast opportunities in the hospitality sector, for which tourism has been granted industry status.

He revealed that the state aims to create 50,000 hotel rooms across Andhra Pradesh, while also encouraging large-scale development of homestays.

He said that due to global conflicts, domestic tourism is expected to grow as people prefer travelling locally instead of abroad.

He noted that some countries have successfully developed tourism even in places with very few natural advantages, whereas Andhra Pradesh has numerous historical sites and pilgrimage centres.

Ancient monuments and structures with rich historical value must be encouraged and developed, he added.

--IANS

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