VIJAYAWADA: Education Minister Nara Lokesh has announced that the AP government secured industrial investment proposals worth Rs 9.5 lakh crore and commitments for 8.5 lakh jobs in the last 11 months.This, once materialized, would be more than the previous government’s record of five years, he said.Lokesh was chairing a high-level meeting on employment generation and investment monitoring here on Wednesday, which was attended by senior ministers and officials.He said 78 major industries came forward with proposals of Rs 9.2 lakh crore, while 1,19,580 micro, small and medium enterprises have proposed investments of Rs 13,895 crore. He stressed continuous monitoring through dedicated project monitoring units within the economic development board for companies like NTCP, BPCL, Reliance and Tata Power.The minister asked officials to fast-track land allocations and infrastructure for renewable energy projects. Highlighting the state’s vast coastline, he called for a focused push on beach tourism and emphasised support to star hotel projects of Oberoi and Varun Beach Sands in Visakhapatnam.The minister urged exploration of investments and employment opportunities in the beach sand mining and coal gasification sectors. To ensure that industries have access to a skilled workforce, he stressed the need for robust training programmes and development of a skill ecosystem.Lokesh proposed rapid action on building a world-class international cricket stadium in Amaravati with BCCI’s support, also citing its potential for employment generation.To improve ease of doing business, he recommended integrating WhatsApp governance to expedite industrial approvals. Noting that MSMEs offered maximum employment potential, he advised aligning them with the PM employment generation programme for better financial support.As the state is completing a year under the leadership of CM Naidu, Lokesh called for matching progress in investment attraction and project execution. He reaffirmed AP’s commitment to being investor-friendly and to its fast-track governance policies, encouraging direct engagement with investors.The meeting was attended by ministers and top officials, including Ponguru Narayana, Kandula Durgesh and TG Bharat as also officials from the industry, tourism and IT departments.
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