AP CM Announces Groundbreaking for ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel Facility.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu recently announced in the Legislative Assembly that the foundation stone for the ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India plant in Anakapalli would be laid this month, while the foundation for the Google Data Centre in Visakhapatnam would be laid in April.

Speaking during a discussion on demands for grants to various departments, Mr. Naidu said the State had succeeded in attracting marquee investments, including a ₹6,000 crore investment by the Tata Group. He attributed this to efforts by the TDP-led coalition government to restore the State’s brand image, which he alleged had been damaged during the previous YSR Congress Party regime.

The Chief Minister asserted that Andhra Pradesh was on course to become a $2.40 trillion economy by 2047. He said the government had introduced 26 sector-specific policies to ensure faster clearances for industries and was focusing on developing industrial parks in all 175 Assembly constituencies. Granting industry status to tourism had given a boost to the largely untapped sector, he added.

Mr. Naidu said the government had so far facilitated employment for 6.28 lakh individuals, including 30,500 through mega DSC and police recruitments. He maintained that the economic regions of Amaravati, Visakhapatnam and Tirupati would drive higher growth and stated that shifting from “Ease of Doing Business” to “Speed of Doing Business” had given Andhra Pradesh a competitive edge in attracting investments.

Highlighting public health and “Brand AP” as top priorities, he said the government was working on a Universal Health Policy to provide free medical services up to ₹2.50 lakh to every citizen. Medical colleges were being constructed under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, but would remain government assets, he said.

On the alleged liquor scam, the Chief Minister claimed that the irregularities could amount to as much as ₹10,000 crore based on findings of the Special Investigation Team (SIT). He informed the House that a Cabinet Sub-Committee had been constituted to overhaul the excise system and alleged that around 30,000 deaths occurred between 2019 and 2024 due to consumption of low-quality liquor.