From Our Correspondent
Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh is at a defining turning point where innovation will shape development, governance and partnerships, said State Minister for Education, IT and Electronics Nara Lokesh. He was addressing a session on “RTIH and One Family One Entrepreneur – Innovation, Inclusion, and Impact for AP” at the CII Partnership Summit.
Lokesh said the government’s goal is to ensure one entrepreneur in every family and to turn the state into an innovation-driven economy by 2029. The plan includes nurturing over 20,000 startups, creating one lakh jobs, and establishing Centres of Excellence in ten key sectors. “It’s not just about the number of startups; it’s about fostering an innovation mindset among students, MSMEs, industries and government alike,” he said.
He added that Ratan Tata Innovation Hub (RTIH) will anchor this vision by connecting government, industry, academia and investors, enabling decentralized innovation. Through hubs, spokes, APIC, MINE, prototype labs and rural mobile incubation units, the state now has a complete startup lifecycle, he noted.
The minister asserted that Andhra Pradesh is preparing to position itself as India’s technology capital. RTIH GovTech will identify real-world public problems and fast-track solutions through hackathons, with the government acting as the first customer for innovators. “One Family – One Entrepreneur is not a slogan; it’s a new development model,” he said.
Lokesh highlighted that the AP Innovation & Startup Policy 2024 provides a clear pathway for students to grow into entrepreneurs and aims to help homegrown ventures scale globally.
In the presence of the minister, Andhra Pradesh signed MoUs with six organisations — AP VAGA, Startup UAE, Quantum AI, AIM/AIG, Startup Runway, and RRP Electronics Ltd. RRP Electronics announced a proposed investment of ₹10,000 crore.
RTIH CEO P. Dhatri Reddy, Tata Innovation Group Senior Vice President Ravi Arora, BlackBuck Co-founder Rajesh Yabaji, Endiya Partners MD Satish Andra, Professor Ramesh Loganathan and GAME Co-founder Madan Padaki attended the event.