Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu sets September 2026 deadline for grounding of approved investment projects

Vijayawada: Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has directed the ministers’ committee, headed by IT minister Nara Lokesh, to ensure that all approved investment projects in Andhra Pradesh are grounded by Sept 2026 and become operational by 2028-end.Reviewing the progress of MoUs signed during the Visakhapatnam Partnership Summit and projects approved by the State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) here on Thursday, the CM said the state’s “speed of doing business” policy should be reflected in the execution of projects on the ground.During the review meeting, Lokesh informed the CM that the state attracted 756 projects worth ₹21.6 lakh crore in the last 23 months, with the potential to generate over 21.2 lakh jobs. He said SIPB has so far approved 282 projects involving investments worth ₹11.5 lakh crore, of which 114 projects have already been grounded. Lokesh also said plans are afoot to attract more aviation projects from the private sector and a dedicated website providing MSME approvals and related services would soon be launched.Naidu directed officials to develop a single digital dashboard to track project grounding, approvals and employment generation. He said tourism projects should get priority in land allocation, followed by IT companies. The CM also suggested the construction of innovative multi-purpose buildings for tourism and information technology sectors.He asked officials to prepare a master plan to develop Suryalanka beach as a 'Goa Plus' tourism destination and expedite the temple tourism circuit connecting 21 major temples across the state. The CM emphasised environmentally sustainable industrial development and warned against the discharge of pollutants into the sea along coastal areas such as Suryalanka and Mypadu beaches. He stressed that IT projects should commence operations within 18 months and called for the promotion of semiconductor and electronics component manufacturing projects.Naidu also directed departments to prioritise solar rooftop and transmission projects to help the state achieve its target of producing 160 GW of green energy. He also called for the speedy implementation of waste-to-energy plants, food processing projects, shipbuilding centres, ports, airports and inland waterways infrastructure.Energy special chief secretary Vijayanand informed the meeting that 99 GW green energy projects were already under various stages of implementation. Ministers Payyavula Keshav, Gottipati Ravi Kumar, Kandula Durgesh, TG Bharat, Kondapalli Srinivas and BC Janardhan Reddy, chief secretary Sai Prasad and senior officials attended the review meeting.