Inspiring New Era Begins, Says CM Chandrababu Naidu

The two-day workshop on AI and emerging technologies for government digital transformation" is being held in Amaravati in collaboration with the Wadhwani centre for government digital transformation. It is designed to build awareness and capacity among senior and mid-level officers to understand and implement AI-based innovations in governance.

Recounting his journey from struggling for a 2 Mbps internet connection to launching data-driven governance, the chief minister highlighted Andhra Pradesh’s long-standing commitment to technological leadership. “Back then, BSNL gave me 2 Mbps – and I used it for audio and video. Today we’re talking about Gigabits,” he said, crediting the deregulation of the telecom sector and early e-governance initiatives as game-changers.

Naidu underscored that systems must empower governance, not restrict it. “We have the best brains. But our systems make them inefficient. We must now rewrite old, archaic laws and embrace smart, digital systems,” he said.

Calling for a mindset shift, the Chief Minister declared: “Hard work is no longer enough. We must focus on smart, flexible work.” He highlighted how digitised file systems, real-time decision-making and bandwidth-led connectivity are enabling new ways of governance.

From the deployment of drones to control of illegal cultivation to Aadhaar-linked home deliveries during disasters, the Chief Minister shared successful examples of how technology, when used wisely, can transform public service. “Every family must have someone who prepares or applies use cases. This is how we ensure that technology serves the people,” he added.

The Chief Minister also spoke passionately about the integration of massive datasets through a state-run Data Lake, enabling predictive governance. “We will integrate all data. The planning department must use it to prepare the state for the future,” he said.

He announced that Andhra Pradesh would fully saturate critical infrastructure like housing and sanitation by 2028 or 2029 and leverage public-private-people partnerships (P4) to uplift underprivileged families.

The Chief Minister expressed strong confidence in achieving a 15 per cent economic growth, stating that such ambitious targets are not beyond reach. Drawing a comparison with Telangana, he highlighted how the region transformed from being largely agrarian 25 years ago to now having the highest per capita income in the country, driven by balanced growth across agriculture, industry and services.

Reflecting on AP’s own journey, Naidu stated that since 1995, a wave of new industries has emerged, supported by second-generation reforms. These reforms have not only modernised the economy but also nurtured a vibrant ecosystem of second-generation entrepreneurs who are now steering the state’s economic transformation.

Despite the transformative power of AI, Naidu stressed the importance of human empathy in governance. “Technology must solve people’s problems. It must have a human angle,” he said, adding that 75 per cent of grievances in governance are land-related. Hence, the digitisation of land records, a project he initiated in Telangana, is a critical step forward.

Naidu described the workshop as a landmark step. “We are creating proof-of-concept models to show the country how AI-led governance can work. We are at the beginning of an inspiring era.”