metro india news  I amaravati

State IT and Education Minister Nara Lokesh expressed happiness over Google investing $15 billion to establish its largest data centre outside the United States in Visakhapatnam. Addressing the media from his Undavalli residence on Wednesday, Lokesh called it “India’s single largest Foreign Direct Investment in history.”

Lokesh also announced that new project announcements will be made every week, with the government working towards the creation of 20 lakh jobs, including five lakh in the IT sector alone. The government aims to transform Greater Visakhapatnam into a $1 trillion economic corridor, with extensive infrastructure upgrades and global partnerships in renewable energy, AI, and electronics manufacturing.

“This isn’t just a victory for Andhra Pradesh, it’s a moment of pride for the entire nation,” Lokesh said, adding that the mega project would generate over 1.88 lakh direct and indirect jobs and create an economic impact worth Rs 48,000 crore over five years. He stated that, just as Microsoft once transformed Hyderabad, Google’s entry will revolutionize Visakhapatnam’s economy and global identity.

Lokesh credited Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s visionary leadership and the joint efforts of the Centre and the State for achieving this milestone. “The Prime Minister, the Finance Minister, and senior central officials extended complete support. Only a double-engine bullet train government can deliver growth at this pace,” he remarked.

The minister revealed that the groundwork began in September 2024, when Google representatives first visited Visakhapatnam, although many states tried to get the project, they chose AP because of the investment friendly opportunities. Lokesh subsequently met Google Cloud leadership in the U.S., followed by their discussions with the Chief Minister in November. Policy amendments at the central level, facilitated after consultations with PM Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, cleared the path for the record investment.

Taking aim at the previous YSRCP regime, Lokesh alleged that some of its leaders actively tried to block Google’s entry by sending negative communications to the company. “Their five-year misrule drove investors away. In just 17 months, we turned Andhra Pradesh into India’s most attractive investment destination,” he asserted.

 “Under Chandrababu Naidu’s vision, Andhra Pradesh is not running on a double engine, it’s racing ahead on a double-engine bullet train. Google’s arrival is proof that the world trusts our governance, speed, and stability,” Lokesh declared confidently.

Later in the day, Minister Lokesh inaugurated a new Tata Hitachi dealership showroom and machine-care facility by Lakshmi Group at the Mangalagiri bypass. Addressing the event, he contrasted the present administration’s constructive use of machinery with the past. “Where bulldozers were once sent to displace people, today excavators and bulldozers are deployed for development of roads, Amaravati works and civic infrastructure.” He described Mangalagiri as the gateway to Amaravati and said the town now has the social infrastructure and ecosystem needed for industry and investment.

Lokesh recalled his long engagement with local voters and pledged continued attention to constituency priorities, listing projects including land allotments, a 100-bed hospital, community buildings, sewer and drinking-water upgrades and a proposed Gems & Jewellery Park. 

He said development in Mangalagiri is being carried out on a war footing and emphasised that dealerships create local jobs as much as marquee investments such as Google. Highlighting private partners, Lokesh praised Lakshmi Group founder Kambhampati Rammohan Rao and Tata Hitachi MD Sandeep Singh for generating employment and called on other firms to expand operations. He reiterated the government’s promise to create 2 million jobs and said underground drainage works will start next month.