MSMEs Crucial For 20 Lakh Jobs Mission: Lokesh

The state, he said, is emerging as a major investment destination.

Lokesh said the government would establish an MSME park in every ssembly constituency. He directed the MSME department to ensure that at least 100 AP-based companies get listed on the NSE within the next three months.

Addressing the “SME IPO – Alternative Funding Option For Growth” awareness seminar organised jointly by the national stock exchange of India, the AP MSME development corporation and the confederation of Indian industry, Lokesh said the government was moving forward with the vision of “Made in Andhra – Made for India – Made for the World.”

Among those present were Ashish Chauhan, CEO and MD of the NSE, MSME minister Kondapalli Srinivas, MPs Lavu Srikrishna Devarayalu and Kesineni Sivanath, AP MSME development corporation CEO M Viswa, and representatives of SEBI, NSE and financial institutions.

Lokesh said the idea of generating 20 lakh jobs was inspired by experiences during his “Yuvagalam” padayatra. Recalling an interaction at Penugonda near Kia Motors, he spoke about a woman named Padmavathi who secured employment in a Kia ancillary unit after industrial investments reached the region.

“Earlier she was dependent on her husband despite being educated. Today, she earns nearly `30,000 a month and supports her family. Her story made me realise the transformative power of employment generation,” he said, adding that job creation became the first promise under the coalition’s “Super Six” commitments.

The minister claimed the state had already signed 800 agreements involving investments worth `23 lakh crore with the potential to create 24 lakh jobs. According to Lokesh, major firms including Google and ArcelorMittal had each proposed investments of `1.35 lakh crore, while companies such as Royal Enfield, Tata Consultancy Services and Cognizant were also expanding operations in the state.

He said the AMCA fighter jet manufacturing project would be established at Puttaparthi in Rayalaseema.

Highlighting the “multiplier effect” of investments, Lokesh said the proposed Google data centre in Visakhapatnam had attracted cooling systems manufacturer Carrier Global to Sri City to support the ecosystem required for large-scale data centre operations.

He said the government was pursuing a policy of “single capital with decentralised development” and had prepared plans for 22 industrial clusters across Andhra Pradesh. Rayalaseema would focus on automobile manufacturing, renewable energy and horticulture, while Coastal Andhra would promote compressed biogas plants, aquaculture and quantum technology in Amaravati.

North Andhra would focus on pharma, data centres, medical equipment and IT sectors, he said.

Stressing the importance of MSMEs, Lokesh said even small enterprises starting with investments of `50 lakh or `1 crore were as important as global corporations. He said the government was shifting from “Ease of Doing Business” to “Speed of Doing Business” by simplifying permissions, incentives and online approvals.