Naidu Unveils Blueprint For AP As "Sunrise State"

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Monday unveiled the "Blueprint For IT, Electronics & e-Governance" for the State.

The Blueprint envisages the targets to be achieved by the State by 2020, and the necessary strategies and timelines. It has been developed with a vision "to develop AP as an innovation society of global repute, with a focus on enhancing the quality of life of its citizens, through high-quality education and healthcare, increased productivity in agriculture and allied activities, creation of employment by promoting electronics and IT, and above all, by providing good governance", AP IT Minister Dr Palle Raghunatha Reddy said.

Andhra Pradesh has been envisioned as "The Sunrise State", owing to the great opportunities it would offer in the IT, ITeS, electronics and allied industries.

The document highlights the need to have a mission mode approach for the vigorous promotion of the industries. Accordingly, 3 missions have been identified: the Electronics & IT Mission, the Innovation & Capacity Building Mission and the e-Governance Mission.

The Blueprint also highlights 18 policies & frameworks for the growth of the IT industry in the State.

J Satyanarayana, Advisor to the State, and Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, explained the Electronics and the Innovation & Start-Up policies respectively to the Chief Minister.

The Electronics policy targets attracting investments upto Rs. 50,000 crores that may create employment for about 4 lakhs in the State. The policy aims to set up 20 Electronic Manufacturing Clusters (EMCs) and 200 industrial units across the State.

The Chief Minister envisions the State having "at least one entrepreneur and one IT literate from each household". The Innovation & Start-Up Policy then highlights the need to develop the entrepreneurial skills among students. It proposes a start-up village with 100 incubation centers and 5,000 start-ups / entrepreneurs.

During the presentation, both Satyanarayana and Jaju highlighted the importance of updating the current course curriculum in the technical institutes in the State to match industry needs. The Chief Minister indicated that a committee be formed to work with the Higher Technical Education Department to study and understand the requirements of industry and recommend the necessary changes in the course curriculum.

Naidu directed that the two policies - the Electronics Policy and the Innovation & Start-Up Policy - be implemented at the earliest, and that work start on attracting investments into the State. (INN)