Southern states must emerge as key economic force in building Viksit Bharat: AP CM Naidu
Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu), Aug 20 (TNT): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday called for greater cooperation and coordination among southern states to accelerate regional development and enable them to emerge as a key economic force in building a Viksit Bharat by 2047.
Addressing the 31st Southern Zonal Council meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah at Mahabalipuram, Naidu highlighted the development priorities of Andhra Pradesh and other southern states and said mutual cooperation and trust between the Centre and states were essential for resolving pending issues.
Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry attended the meeting.
Naidu said southern states currently contribute around 31 per cent of India’s GDP and asserted that the combined southern economy could reach $10 trillion by 2047.
He called for coordinated efforts to leverage the region’s economic potential and strengthen its contribution to the national growth story.
Among his key proposals was the development of a bullet train corridor connecting Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, he suggested routing the corridor through Kuppam (Chittoor District) and developing a transport network linking Amaravati, Bengaluru and Chennai.
The Chief Minister also proposed a common logistics network and dry ports across southern states and called for linking the southern power grid with the national grid.
For human resource development, Naidu suggested forming a joint consortium of universities and skilling institutions from the southern states.
He also proposed a Mutual Aid Force to facilitate inter-state cooperation and coordinated response during natural disasters.
Highlighting the potential of spiritual tourism, Naidu proposed a common spiritual tourism circuit connecting Tirupati with Kashi, Ayodhya and the Char Dham.
On issues relating to Andhra Pradesh’s bifurcation, Naidu said institutions listed under Schedules IX and X of the AP Reorganisation Act continued to face unresolved issues even after 12 years. He urged the Centre to expedite the settlement of bifurcation-related matters, including the state’s resource deficit and issues concerning Section 56.
Naidu said major projects such as Polavaram, the South Coast Railway Zone and Amaravati were taking shape with the support of the Centre.
He said Amaravati had secured its legal status as the capital of Andhra Pradesh.
He also sought expeditious approvals for Dugarajapatnam Port and refinery proposals and urged the Centre to approve the Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada Metro Rail projects.
He also sought approval for the Kadapa-JSW railway link.
On water resources, Naidu proposed diversion of more than 500 TMC of water through the Godavari-Cauvery river-linking project, claiming that the initiative could provide a permanent solution to Tamil Nadu’s water problems.
He called for coordinated efforts by Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to resolve inter-state river water issues and proposed a long-term national plan for Ganga-Cauvery river linking, with time-bound preparation of detailed project reports and approvals for river-linking projects.
Naidu said the development of southern states was possible only through cooperation and coordination and wished success to the 31st Southern Zonal Council meeting.
The Chief Ministers attending the meeting appreciated Naidu’s address and his vision for the comprehensive development of the southern states.
Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar particularly praised Naidu for speaking about the development of all states with a broad vision and described him as a senior leader with a comprehensive approach to the region’s development.
TNT TS
