From Our Correspondent
Amaravati: At the 2025 CII Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu unveiled one of the most ambitious investment facilitation frameworks ever attempted by an Indian state — a system combining real-time clearances, sovereign guarantees, and automatic fund releases through escrow accounts. The initiative attracted the attention of industry figures, including Anand Mahindra.
The mechanism, described as the first of its kind in India, is designed to eliminate bureaucratic delays, ensure transparency, and build absolute trust with investors. Naidu announced that once a company signs an MoU with the government, the promised incentives would flow automatically through an escrow account, backed by a state guarantee — removing the traditional maze of files, sanctions, and departmental bottlenecks that often stall major projects.
Offering a sovereign guarantee on industrial incentives is a bold step for any state, as it places direct financial responsibility on the government. But Naidu’s message was clear: he wanted investors to feel absolute confidence that Andhra would deliver what it promises, on time and without red tape. It’s this willingness to take calculated risks that has long defined his governance style and kept him a step ahead of most political leaders.
The announcement sent strong ripples through the industry community. Business leaders at the Summit gave a standing ovation, calling it a “game-changing reform” that could redefine investor relations in India. Anand Mahindra, Chairman of the Mahindra Group, took to X (formerly Twitter) to say, “This man is an unstoppable force of nature. What I’ve admired about him for decades is not just his obsession with development but his desire to always be innovative in his policies. He raises the bar for himself and for everyone around him.”
Others from the corporate sector echoed the sentiment, describing the policy as “trust institutionalised.” Many said such automation and transparency would dramatically reduce the uncertainty that plagues industrial projects across India. Naidu’s move once again underscored why he is often seen as the country’s most reform-minded chief minister — bold enough to challenge bureaucratic inertia, confident enough to back his word with the state’s guarantee, and visionary enough to build systems that outlast slogans.