Move to take lands on lease for energy units

NANDYAL: Asserting that the proactive policies of the State government are paving the way for rapid industrial growth, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has said the conducive atmosphere and transparent policies reflect in the State getting top rank in Ease of Doing Business (EoDB).

Addressing a gathering after commissioning the Rs 2,500 crore Ramco Cements unit at Kalwatala village in Kolimigundla mandal of the district on Wednesday, he congratulated the Ramco group for coming to Andhra Pradesh and setting up the unit in a record time, which will provide direct employment to over 1,000 people.

The State government will provide all help to the group in further expansion of the unit. “The Chief Minister is just a phone call away and the government will render all help to you in the manner it should be done,” he asserted.

Stressing the need to promote green energy, the Chief Minister said if farmers come forward, the government will take their lands on lease at an annuity of Rs 30,000 per acre and enter into an agreement with them with a 5% hike in annuity for every three years. The lands will be used for setting up renewable energy plants like solar and wind. Local MLAs and others should work in this regard and it will be better if a cluster of 1,500 to 2,000 acres is formed in the region to set up power units with a capacity of 500 MW.

“We laid the foundation stone in Kurnool for 5,400 MW solar, wind and pump storage energy project of Greenko group, which will provide direct employment to 2,600 people. We have also given the nod for Indosol, Arcelor Mittal, Aurobindo and Adani groups for a total investment of Rs 72,188 crore, generating employment for 20,000 people. With the rule of 75% reservation in jobs for local people, thousands of villagers will get benefited,” he said, mentioning that AP achieved 11.34% industrial growth rate in 2021-22.

On the new industries that have come up in the State, Jagan said he recently launched a Rs 1,000 crore unit of Grasim industries with an employment potential of 1,150. In the Apache group units in Chittoor and Pulivendula, Rs 700 crore has been invested, providing  jobs to 10,000 local people.

Four ports and nine fishing harbours are coming up in the State to double marine exports from Rs 1.70 lakh crore to Rs 3.4 lakh crore in five years, besides generating considerable direct and indirect employment. The three industrial corridors, a mega industrial hub and Electronics Manufacturing Cluster at Kopparthi and another one in Chittoor, will help promote industrial development in the State in a big way, he said.