From Our Correspondent
Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh Minister for Education, IT and Electronics Nara Lokesh held a series of meetings with key industry leaders on the sidelines of the CII Partnership Summit on Sunday.
AIFF to Build Stadium in Amaravati
In a separate meeting, All India Football Federation (AIFF) President Kalyan Chaubey met Lokesh. The minister said the state is prioritising sports infrastructure and recently implemented 3% reservation for sportspersons in DSC recruitment. Chaubey announced that AIFF will construct a football stadium on 12 acres in Amaravati and will partner with the School Education Department to train PETs and strengthen grassroots football. AIFF will also support grading and capacity-building of football coaches in the state.
Goa Shipyard to Invest ₹5,000 Crore in AP
Lokesh also met Adikesh Vasudevan, Projects Head of Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL), who confirmed plans to set up a ₹5,000-crore Integrated Shipbuilding & Repair Complex in Andhra Pradesh. He said the project will create 20,000 jobs. GSL, a key defence shipyard serving the Indian Navy and Coast Guard, specialises in building advanced warships and providing lifecycle support for commercial vessels.
Push for Semiconductor and Chip Design Unit
In another meeting, Silicon Gen Chairman Chida Chidambaram discussed semiconductor opportunities with the minister. Lokesh proposed establishing a semiconductor fab, chip design centre and co-located OSAT unit in AP, highlighting the state’s highly competitive incentives under its IT and Semiconductors Policy 2.0. Chidambaram said the company is focused on advanced 3D wafer stacking technologies for integrated SiP solutions and is exploring opportunities in AI GPUs, CPUs, HBM and PMIC manufacturing. He said the company will evaluate Andhra Pradesh’s proposals positively.
Lokesh Urges Zelestera Power to Set Up Renewable Manufacturing in AP
Lokesh met Zelestera Power CEO Parag Sharma, who briefed him on the company’s operations as a vertically integrated renewable energy developer and independent power producer active across seven states, with annual revenues of £579 million. Lokesh urged the firm to establish a renewable manufacturing unit in Andhra Pradesh for solar panels, wind turbine components and battery storage systems, preferably near a port to support exports.