Continuity in governance key to growth, says Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Lokesh

HRD and IT Minister Nara Lokesh has said continuity in governance is essential for sustained development.

Policy instability had driven away several companies to the neighbouring States between 2019 and 2024, Mr. Lokesh said while delivering the keynote address at the Public Policy Festival organised by the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in Pune on Friday.

Exhorting people to recognise the importance of stable governments for long-term economic growth, the highlighted the State’s renewed focus on technology-driven governance.

The minister said Andhra Pradesh was ushering in transformational reforms through digital platforms. The government had successfully implemented ‘Manamitra’ WhatsApp Governance, through which 1,000 services across 36 departments were being delivered to citizens.

“Land records will soon be integrated into the Manamitra platform using Artificial Intelligence and blockchain technology, enabling faster traceability and title transfers in 24 hours,” he said.

Mr. Lokesh said Andhra Pradesh was emerging as a major investment destination due to three key factors — proven leadership, speed of doing business, and double-engine government led by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He announced that the groundwork for the ArcelorMittal Nippon steel plant would begin in February and described it as one of the country’s largest industrial projects.

The Minister said the State’s investor-friendly ‘LIFT’ policy accelerated industrial approvals, with the government treating each project as its own responsibility. He noted that global firms such as Google, ArcelorMittal, TCS and Cognizant were queuing up to invest in the State due to swift clearances and proactive governance.

Mr. Lokesh also spoke about the ambitious Quantum Valley project in Amaravati, a flagship initiative of Mr. Naidu, aimed at positioning Andhra Pradesh as a national hub for advanced technologies. He said the government was aligning education, skilling and industrial ecosystems to realise the Chief Minister’s vision, adding that all Ministers and officials were working collectively to translate policy into action and attract large-scale foreign direct investment.