A decade ago, people of the eastern mandals of the district, from Srikalahasti to Satyavedu, hardly expected that their children would work in industries close to their villages. The region stands testimony to the steady growth of industrial activity, taking a giant leap from traditional farming.
Strategic location
The emergence of Sri City, the world-class Integrated Business City, at a strategic location, 55-km north of Chennai, in 2008 changed the lifestyle of thousands of people in an area of 100 sq km in Chittoor and Nellore districts of Andhra Pradesh.
Until Sri City came into existence, the region was the most backward one in the State. It did not have even a degree college. But, in one decade, besides being India’s premier industrial destination, with the presence of renowned institutions of higher learning such as IIIT and IFMR, the region draws the attention of multinationals.
The paddy belt, over the years, turned into a vibrant industrial entity with close to one hundred operating units surging ahead in a decade.
They include Alstom (metro rail coaches), Isuzu (auto major), Colgate Palmolive (toothbrushes), Lavazza (coffee), Kobelco (earthmovers) Kellogg’s (cereals), Foxconn (cellular phones), PepsicCo, Mondelez (Cadbury), and several other lead brands.
People benefited
The mega industrial activity has indeed become a game-changer for the region. People who gave away their land for the development of Sri City were "princely" compensated and had been benefited by more ways than one.
This helped a number of agrarian families to take to business elsewhere in Tirupati, Nellore and Chennai.
Hundreds of local youth from Satyavedu, Varadaiahpalem, Srikalahasti, Thottambedu, Yerpedu, B.N. Kandriga, Pichatur, Nagalapuram, Puttur and Nagari mandals in Chittoor district and neighbouring Nellore district were absorbed in various companies that set up base here.
According to a study conducted by the Department of Anthropology, S.V. University, about 85% of the people in the villages of Sri City started receiving good earnings within four years of setting up the Sri City.
"Sri City has set up the Human Resources Development Academy (HRDA) to train local people in different trades, irrespective of their education level. In collaboration with the IL&FS, the academy offers free vocational training in different trades, orients them to industry requirements and makes them fit for employment.