Andhra Pradesh attracts investments worth Rs 9.89 lakh crore at CII Summit: CM Naidu
Visakhapatnam, Nov 13 (TNT): Andhra Pradesh has attracted investment commitments worth Rs 9,88,957 crore through 303 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), with an employment potential of 3.48 lakh jobs, at the 31st CII Partnership Summit 2026 held here on November 12 and 13, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said on Friday.
Addressing a media conference after the conclusion of the two-day summit, Naidu said the state government would provide industrial clearances in real time through self-certification to facilitate investments and promote ease of doing business.
He also announced that the state would enact an Investments Protection Act with retrospective effect from 2024 to protect investors’ interests and address concerns arising from changes in governments.
Of the total investment commitments, he said 194 MoUs worth Rs 86,522 crore, with an employment potential of 1,47,951 jobs, were signed during regional conferences held between October 7 and 26.
At the Visakhapatnam summit, another 109 MoUs involving investments of Rs 9,02,434 crore and potential employment of 2,00,358 persons were signed, he said.
With these fresh commitments, the cumulative investment proposals received by Andhra Pradesh since June 2024 have risen to Rs 32.49 lakh crore, he said.
The Chief Minister said Visakhapatnam was emerging as a major economic and technology hub and expressed confidence that it would develop into an IT, knowledge and rare earth minerals centre.
Referring to emerging technologies, he said young entrepreneurs were exploring innovative opportunities in space technology, including plans to establish data centres in space.
Technology, creativity and innovation would open up new possibilities, he added.
Naidu stressed the need to ensure that wealth creation translated into benefits for the underprivileged and said the government was working towards building an inclusive society.
Several corporate companies had come forward to support poor families through the P-4 programme, he said.
He announced that health records of people would be made available online from January 1, facilitating access to health-related information.
On women empowerment, he said the government was promoting products manufactured by women’s self-help groups under the Swayam brand to improve their marketing opportunities.
Women had secured 60 per cent of the seats in the recent local body elections, he added.
Highlighting Visakhapatnam’s growing prominence, Naidu said the city had secured the top position among million-plus cities in the Swachh Shehar category of Swachh Survekshan 2025-26. Andhra Pradesh had also received six national cleanliness awards.
Visakhapatnam ranked first in women’s safety in the NARI 2025 survey and topped LinkedIn’s Cities on the Rise rankings for the second consecutive year, while Vijayawada also figured among the top 10 cities.
The Chief Minister said the recent local body election results demonstrated that good governance could help governments win public confidence.
The coalition parties had secured a higher vote share, he claimed.
TNT KM
