Chief Minister YS Jagan says Visakhapatnam will be Capital of Andhra Pradesh, vows to shift

NEW DELHI: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Tuesday not only invited foreign investments with open arms but even used the occasion to make an emphatic statement, reiterating that Visakhapatnam would be the capital of Andhra Pradesh soon.

The Chief Minister delivered the keynote speech at the round-table with diplomats of various countries, organised in New Delhi as a curtain-raiser for the forthcoming AP Global Investors Summit in Visakhapatnam. YS Jagan minced no words to enlighten the diplomats and the distinguished guests that the port city was going to be the capital of Andhra Pradesh very soon.

Firmly sending across the message that he would also be operating from Visakhapatnam in the near future, he beckoned the diplomats for a visit to the port city on March 3 and 4, 2023 when the prestigious event will be hosted there. He urged the ambassadors, consuls general and other diplomats present on the occasion to spread a good word about the kind of business they (the YSRCP government) do and offer in the state.

YS Jagan also made a few claims during his short speech, boasting that Andhra Pradesh was indeed the fastest growing state in the country. While paying compliments to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for already setting the platform for the country, he claimed that Andhra Pradesh had been the No.1 State in the country for the last three consecutive years when it came to ‘Ease of Doing Business’ (EoDB).

“As far as AP is concerned, we are the fastest growing state with 11.43 pc GST in the country. We are also rated no.1 in Ease of Doing Business in the country for three years in a row. This would speak volumes of what we are doing in the State.

“The video played earlier clearly showcases the state’s 974 km coast line, six ports and six airports that add to the natural advantage. This apart, three industrial corridors out of the 11 to be set up across the country are coming up in Andhra Pradesh, which would speak a lot about what we have to offer to the industrial community. The Ease of Doing Business in the state envisages a single-desk portal. All the approvals are deemed given within 21 days,” he said.

The Chief Minister also reeled out the details of the state’s various sector-wise clusters that operate in ‘plug and play’ model.

The curtain-raiser event, being hosted by the Andhra Pradesh Government at Leela Palace Hotel in the national capital, will go on till Tuesday evening.