By Surya Kumar
Visakhapatnam: After a crushing defeat in the general elections in May, the recent praise by Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal patting Andhra Pradesh for ranking second after Kerala in Ease of Doing Business (EDB) initiatives, much ahead of Gujarat and other States, appears to have come as a big morale booster for the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).
The party has to contend with a tally of just 11 MLAs and four Lok Sabha seats. With a brute majority, TDP staged a spectacular comeback along with its allies BJP and Tollywood star Pawan Kalyan-headed Jana Sena Party.
At an official programme in New Delhi, Goyal praised the industrial initiatives for the assessment done by the Government of India for 2022, when YSRCP was in power with Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy as the Chief Minister.
Praising Kerala and Andhra Pradesh along with Gujarat for the reforms paving the way for a conducive investment climate, he said these States had implemented bold initiatives and services for businesses as well as the citizens alike.
He was speaking at ‘Udyog Samagam’ programme held to felicitate top performers based on an assessment done on 30 reform areas under the Business Reforms Action Plan (BRAP). The meeting to felicitate top-performing States and Union Territories was organised by the Department for Promotion of Investment and Internal Trade (DPIIP).
In a posting on the micro-blogging site X (formerly Twitter), Gudivada Amarnath, who served as Minister for Industries, Commerce, and IT in the YSRCP regime, said, “Under the dynamic leadership of former Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, Andhra Pradesh has achieved significant progress in the industrial sector, emerging as a top performer in the Business Reforms Action Plan (BRAP) for 2022.”
He stated that “the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has recognized Andhra Pradesh as the second-best state in promoting ease of doing business, a testament to the vision and strategic approach of the former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy. The Union Minister for Industry and Commerce had to felicitate top performers under the BRAP 2022. During the event, Andhra Pradesh was one of the States for which citations were presented celebrating their achievements in enhancing ease of doing business.”
He said despite the unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 the state managed to demonstrate commendable progress, owing to Jagan’s foresight and commitment to reforms that promoted industrial growth. The previous YSRCP government has introduced several game-changing policies that have made it easier for businesses to invest and expand in Andhra Pradesh, ensuring the state’s steady climb towards industrial excellence.
YSRCP says that investments of Rs.7,69, 815 crore were attracted into Andhra Pradesh in 2022, and notable among them were Century Ply, Adani, and Greenko. However, TDP leaders say Adani, GMR, and all other projects were cleared during their previous stint and the work could not progress during the five-year YSRCP regime.
