When states compete, India wins

It would be no exaggeration to say that Andhra Pradesh has faced a demanding journey since the bifurcation in 2014.

- NARA LOKESH

Hyderabad was the engine of growth in the united Andhra Pradesh state, and we have had to rebuild the economy after the loss of our crown jewel.

In those early years, our government embarked on several landmark projects to get AP on the growth path. Amaravati was launched as a modern capital, Sri City scaled into a leading industrial cluster, and an electronics corridor took shape in Tirupati. Near Visakhapatnam, the medical devices park emerged as a national leader, and Polavaram reached 72 per cent progress by 2019. All these were accomplished with minimum funds, a nonexistent capital city, and despite major setbacks like the Hudhud cyclone. However, we had the strength of the Telugu resolve, immense diaspora support, and the credibility of “CBN” as an investment brand.

It was disappointing when the period from 2019 to 2024 reversed much of that momentum. The Singapore partnership for Amaravati was cancelled, power purchase contracts with respected global firms such as SoftBank and ReNew Power were rolled back, and Polavaram advanced by only 3 per cent in 5 years. It would be fair to say that the only project that was successfully completed was a ₹ 550 crore palace to house the former chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy! Overall, in the last five years, AP's dreams were deferred not due to a lack of capacity, but due to a lack of stewardship.