BizAndhra Desk
Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh on Thursday said the state “owes an apology” to industrialist Jayadev Galla and Amara Raja Group, acknowledging that the company faced harassment during the previous YSRCP government’s tenure, forcing it to look outside Andhra Pradesh for its next phase of expansion.
Lokesh’s remarks came on the day Amara Raja Energy & Mobility inaugurated its advanced lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility at Divitipally in Telangana’s Mahbubnagar district.
In a message posted on X, Lokesh described Amara Raja as one of Andhra Pradesh’s greatest industrial success stories, saying the company had built world-class manufacturing facilities, created thousands of jobs and taken the name of Chittoor and Andhra Pradesh across India and the world.
“The harassment your company endured under the previous government should never have happened. An entrepreneur who chose to build in his home state deserved encouragement, not intimidation,” Lokesh wrote, addressing Amara Raja Chairman Jayadev Galla.
He added that it was unfortunate that a company founded in Andhra Pradesh had to seek opportunities outside the state for its next phase of growth.
“As we rebuild trust, Andhra Pradesh is once again open for enterprise. We hope Amara Raja’s biggest chapters will still be written in the state where its journey began. Our doors, and our hearts, will always remain open,” Lokesh said while congratulating the company on its new Telangana facility.
Why Amara Raja Expanded in Telangana
Amara Raja’s decision to establish its major electric vehicle battery manufacturing hub in Telangana was driven by the need for a large, state-supported ecosystem for its ₹9,500-crore Giga Corridor project.
The company partnered with the Telangana government after securing land at Divitipally in Mahbubnagar district, around 100 km from Hyderabad, along with policy support for electric vehicle manufacturing and access to Hyderabad’s growing technology and industrial ecosystem.
Under the project, Amara Raja is setting up a lithium-ion cell Gigafactory with a planned capacity of up to 16 GWh, along with a battery pack assembly facility.
The company has also commissioned a ₹500-crore Customer Qualification Plant (CQP) with an initial capacity of 60 MWh. The facility enables validation and testing of lithium-ion cells before commercial-scale production and complements the company’s ePositive Energy Labs.
The Telangana plant has already begun supplying locally manufactured lithium-ion cells to domestic electric vehicle manufacturers, including Ather Energy.
Chairman Jayadev Galla has said future phases of the multi-crore investment will depend on market demand and continued government support in providing infrastructure and reliable power supply.
Lokesh’s statement is being seen as an attempt by the Andhra Pradesh government to rebuild investor confidence and reassure industries that the state is committed to providing a stable and business-friendly environment.