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Come, make the most of India's 'most performing state', Andhra CM tells US investors

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has sought US investment for the development of his state into a thriving centre for information technology.

He is on a 14-day tour of the United States along with a delegation of Andhra Pradesh industrialists, told a gathering of American businessmen yesterday that the state was an excellent destination for foreign investments and project participation. To drive his point home, he cited the World Bank assessment that Andhra Pradesh was the ''most performing state'' in India.

He said his state accounted for more than 20 per cent of all the proposed investments in India between 1991 and 1998. Some 70 per cent of the projects in the state were large in size. Its intellectual output too was equally strong. The state accounted for 25 per cent of India's software professionals, he added.

The chief minister wanted to create a world class infrastructure in the state. Power generation was being increased. Development of other areas, including roads and ports, was getting the highest attention. All the planned 12 seaports were being developed in a big way. International airports were planned at Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam.

Naidu wanted to make Hyderabad a major transit hub between Europe and China. Smaller airports were also being planned and developed in more than 15 places.

His administrative reforms will include empowering citizens, removal of discretionary powers and transfers and promotions to be based on merit.

He was determined to cut down the role of the middlemen in administration and abolish corruption.

Besides meeting investors, the chief minister also called on officials of the World Bank.

Naidu said he was striving to create a new work culture especially in preparing the human resources.

Speaking about the overall economic situation in India, he said the country was doing extremely well. The depreciation of currency was only to the extent of eleven per cent. However, because of east Asian crisis, the growth rate would now be around 5.6 per cent instead of 6.5 per cent.

UNI