AP Minister Nara Lokesh Visits Gujarat to Drive Industrial Investments

GANDHINAGAR: In a major effort to position Andhra Pradesh as India’s leading investment hub, Minister for Information Technology, Electronics & Communications, and Human Resources Development Nara Lokesh conducted an official tour of Gujarat to drive inter-state economic collaboration, pitch green energy and tech infrastructure, and attract high-value industrial investments.

During a high-profile meeting with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in Gandhinagar, Lokesh proposed establishing a bilateral “Coast-to-Coast” commercial and logistics corridor. Leveraging Gujarat’s strategic presence on the western seaboard and Andhra Pradesh’s gateway status along the eastern coast, the partnership aims to streamline maritime trade and share best practices in private port concessions, drawing from the Gujarat model as Andhra Pradesh expands non-major ports at Ramayapatnam, Machilipatnam, and Mulapeta.

Seeking to replicate the success of Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) in building world-class business hubs in Visakhapatnam and Amaravati, Lokesh requested knowledge-sharing on GIFT City’s single-window clearance mechanisms, developer incentives, and regulatory frameworks.

In addition to meeting key state officials, Lokesh engaged with major corporate leadership—including meetings with Torrent Group Chairman Sameer Mehta for clean energy partnerships and Welspun Group CEO Nitin Jain to explore new industrial parks, pipe manufacturing, and Global Capability Centers (GCCs) in Visakhapatnam—while also requesting land allocation in Gujarat for a Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple.