Nara Lokesh Says Amaravati Transformed Lives

Minister Nara Lokesh on Saturday said the development of Amaravati had changed the lives of many people and significantly increased land values in the region. Participating in the discussion on a resolution urging the Centre to grant legal sanctity to Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh, he said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu envisioned building a capital city that would surprise the world.

Lokesh said the state had witnessed visible development under Chandrababu Naidu’s leadership, citing Anantapur as an example. He noted that the district, once among the least developed, improved significantly after the arrival of Kia Corporation’s manufacturing unit.

He said horticulture had helped transform Rayalaseema, while several industries were brought to North Andhra. Criticising former chief minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, Lokesh alleged that although Jagan had promised before elections that Amaravati would remain the capital, he later changed his stand after coming to power and pushed for the three-capital proposal.

Lokesh accused the previous government of failing to deliver development in North Andhra and said Amaravati farmers had been betrayed. He recalled that farmers and women from the capital region had staged a prolonged agitation demanding continuation of Amaravati as the sole capital.

He further alleged that investors remain cautious about entering Andhra Pradesh due to uncertainty created during the previous regime. Lokesh said the present government is working to attract more investments and announced efforts to bring a steel plant by ArcelorMittal to the state.