Naidu calls for collective efforts to achieve $10-trillion southern States’ economy by 2047

Naidu calls for collective efforts to achieve $10-trillion southern States' economy by 2047 Suggesting that disputes and pending problems between States should be resolved through mutual trust, cooperation and coordination, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N.

Key points

• He proposed transferring more than 500 TMC of surplus floodwaters through the Godavari-Krishna-Penna-Cauvery linkage, saying the project could benefit Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
• The Chief Minister additionally sought faster approvals for projects under Schedule XIII, including the Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor, development of three airports and rail connectivity to Amaravati.
• He thanked the Centre for its backing to Andhra Pradesh, noting that 10 of the 11 promised national institutions had already been established.
• Addressing the 31st Southern Zonal Council session at Mahabalipuram near Chennai, Mr.
• Joseph Vijay (second from right) and Kerala Chief Minister V.D.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu with Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar (left), Tamil Naidu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay (second from right) and Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan (right) at the 31st Southern Zonal Council session at Mahabalipuram near Chennai on Thursday. Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday pressed greater cooperation and coordination among the southern States, saying their collective progress could become a powerful driving force for India's development and assist realise the goal of Viksit Bharat.

Addressing the 31st Southern Zonal Council session at Mahabalipuram near Chennai, Mr. Naidu remarked the southern States had the potential to collectively emerge as an economy worth more than $10 trillion by 2047. The session, chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, discussed an agenda comprising 24 matters.

Mr. Naidu remarked disputes and pending matters between States should be resolved through mutual trust, cooperation and coordination. He proposed a range of joint initiatives, including a bullet train corridor connecting Amaravati, Bengaluru and Chennai via Kuppam. It he remarked could significantly boost economic activity throughout Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

He suggested the creation of a common logistics network, dry ports, stronger integration of the southern power grid with the national grid and a joint skill development ecosystem involving universities and other institutions. He proposed a dedicated disaster management task force to ensure that no southern State was left to accord with natural calamities in isolation.

Mr. Naidu additionally called on a heritage, tourism and pilgrimage circuit linking major southern centres such as Tirupati, Srisailam, Kancheepuram, Madurai, Rameswaram and Mysuru with Varanasi, Ayodhya and the Char Dham destinations.

Mr. Naidu remarked the five southern States at present accounted for regarding 31% of India's GDP and would play a crucial role in helping the country achieve its long-term economic ambitions. While Tamil Nadu was aiming for $2.6 trillion and Karnataka $1 trillion, with the southern region collectively capable of crossing the $10-trillion mark by 2047, andhra Pradesh, he remarked, had set a target of becoming a $2.4-trillion economy.

Raising pending problems relating to the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, Mr. Naidu remarked the division of institutions listed under Schedules IX and X remained incomplete even 12 years after bifurcation. He pressed the Centre to take early decisions on the division of assets, liabilities and institutions and resolve other pending matters under Sections 56 and 66 of the Act.

He thanked the Centre for its backing to Andhra Pradesh, noting that 10 of the 11 promised national institutions had already been established. He remarked Central assistance had been crucial for projects such as Polavaram, the South Coast Railway Zone and the development of Amaravati.

Notably, the Chief Minister additionally sought faster approvals for projects under Schedule XIII, including the Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor, development of three airports and rail connectivity to Amaravati. He sought approvals for the Dugarajapatnam port, BPCL refinery, Metro rail projects in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada, and rail connectivity to the Jindal Steel facility at Kadapa.

On water security, Mr. Naidu described river interlinking as a long-term solution. He proposed transferring more than 500 TMC of surplus floodwaters through the Godavari-Krishna-Penna-Cauvery linkage, saying the project could benefit Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

He additionally called on the Ganga-Cauvery link to be taken up as a national project and suggested a dedicated southern river basins coordination mechanism to ensure timely preparation of DPRs and statutory clearances.

Mr. Naidu remarked the Southern Zonal Council should serve as an effective platform for strengthening Centre-State relations, resolving inter-State matters and ensuring the speedy implementation of decisions taken at its meetings.

In short, naidu calls for collective efforts to achieve $10-trillion southern States' economy by is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.