Mekapati proposes State Data Centre, 5G testing lab in Andhra 

VIJAYAWADA: Industries and Commerce Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy has urged the Centre to set up State Data Centre (SDC), which can provide support to various eGovernance programmes, in Andhra Pradesh, and submitted proposals for the same to the Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

As part of his three-day visit to the national capital, Goutham Reddy met the Union IT Minister on Friday and informed that funds to the tune of Rs 116.75 crore were required for the SDC.

Stating that there was an abnormal increase in data usage after the introduction of 4G services, and that there will be more dependency on internet once 5G services are enabled, Mekapati sought the Centre’s support in setting up a 5G testing lab, and a skilling centre in the state. Ravi Shankar Prasad was informed that 77 per cent of government services are being delivered through village/ward secretariats in AP. 

“For better monitoring of services and reports, there is a need for developing an application to expand the services of village/ward secretariats,” Goutham Reddy said, and thanked the IT minister for releasing funds for the Electronics Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) being developed at Kopparthy of Kadapa district, and invited the latter to the EMC.

The industries minister also met NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, and urged the latter to allocate more funds to AP. Seeking the Centre’s support in establishing IT Concept Cities, he also proposed International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) in the state.

Stating that the mining sector is one of the growth engines of AP, he said licences were issued for 380 mining leases, 1,735 quarry leases for cut and dressed granite blocks and 1,083 quarry leases for industrial minerals. He felt that a collaboration between the think tank and the state would yield greater results.