Minister for Industries and Commerce and Information Technology Mekapati Goutham Reddy dropped strong hints that Visakhapatnam would be made the ‘executive capital’ by saying that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy would not have made the statement in the Assembly without giving it a proper thought.
Mr. Goutham Reddy asserted that Visakhapatnam would be ideal for development as the executive capital and it was set to become a turning point for industrialisation as investments would flow into the port city and the entire State would get to enjoy the benefits.
The city was neglected in the last five years and the CM’s idea of setting up the executive capital there would give a fillip to its development, he observed.
Participating in the US-India defence ties conference organised by the US Consulate in Hyderabad on Thursday, the Minister said the 900-kilometre-long coastline gives A.P. a distinct advantage over others and it offers tremendous scope for setting defence manufacturing units and ancillary industries.
Plea to U.S. diplomat
He requested US Consul General Joel Reifman to consider the opportunities in A.P. not only in defence but also various other sectors.
The Minister pointed out that Visakhapatnam was the most sought- after destination for investments after Hyderabad in the unified State of A.P. and it was poised to become an incubation centre of global standards in the present scenario.
Erik Azulay, CEO of Nexus Startup Hub, an initiative of the US Embassy, and J. Srinivasa Raju, CEO, Visakhapatnam-based earth sciences and offshore engineering consultancy, were among those present.
