- 11 minutes ago
Speaking at the India Today Conclave – South 2026, TG Bharath, Minister of Industries and Commerce, Andhra Pradesh, said the state had introduced virtual meetings of investment promotion bodies and the cabinet to speed up decisions on projects.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Ladies and gentlemen, we're all set for our next session where we put the focus on Andhra Pradesh.
00:05Speed of doing business, how Andhra Pradesh became an investment magnet.
00:10I'd like to invite to on stage Minister of Industries and Commerce Andhra Pradesh, Mr. T.G. Bharat.
00:16With a warm round of applause, please, let's welcome the Honourable Minister.
00:20And to moderate the session, Raj Chankapak, Group Editorial Director, India Today Magazine.
00:25Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and let's give Mr. T.G. Bharat, who's the Minister for Industries, Commerce, and Food
00:33Processing Government of Andhra Pradesh, a very, very warm round of applause for this.
00:39And he comes at a time to this conclave when there is such intense competition between all the southern states.
00:46Everyone, including my home state, Karnataka, and, of course, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, and Andhra, and Telangana are fighting for
00:55the same pie that, if you look at South as a great investment destination.
01:00And what we have seen since Chandir Babu Naidu, I think now almost two years and three months in power,
01:06since he came to power in 2024, was his ability to rebuild the confidence of investors after the hiatus that
01:15happened after he lost the elections.
01:16And two years later, there's a fascinating story that Andhra Pradesh has to talk about, and which I'm going to
01:22get Mr. Bharat into this whole thing, that they were able to garner something like 20 lakh crore to 24
01:29lakh crore.
01:30Am I right, Bharat, on this one?
01:31And, therefore, this terminology from moving from ease of business to speed of business.
01:40And that's what we want to now decipher from you.
01:43What do you mean by speed of business?
01:45Is it just a nice fancy term?
01:47Or where do you show that speed and how different is it from ease of business?
01:52Thank you, sir.
01:54Thanks for inviting me.
01:55And I was happy that I came last year also to Dubai Conclave.
02:00Yes, and spoke very well, I must say.
02:02Made the best presentation.
02:04So, I'll tell you, sir, when I came to Dubai last time, I met a couple of entrepreneurs there, business
02:11people.
02:13So, one was, I was explaining about the state and then, so he must have read in the articles, he
02:20should have, he's an Indian and settled in Dubai.
02:23So, I was asking about, so he was checking about what is state, what is new Amrathi, what's happening and
02:29all.
02:29So, you know, he said he committed 100 crores of donation for development of Amrathi.
02:36I remember that, yes.
02:37And the only reason why he said that is because Chandra Babu Naidu, the CBN brand.
02:44So, you know, to have a brand, because, yeah, CBN brand, so based on the just details about Amrathi, what
02:55happened.
02:56So, he said, you know, 2014 after the spit, you lost so much, so I want to come and help
03:00the state.
03:01And he never did any business in Andhra or he's going to expect any business from Andhra.
03:07So, just because there was a war now, he said he's going to do from next year the commitments that
03:12he promised.
03:13So, that's the kind of brand I'm saying that CBN brand is there.
03:16So, how well you promote your CBN brand is how you'll be able to get investments.
03:23And there's one other example for why that brand is so popular is Vision 2020 when there was no state
03:30talking about Vision during 90s.
03:33He spoke about Vision 2020.
03:35Then people know whether he's going to be there for, till 2020.
03:39Now you see Hyderabad, it's all his dreams.
03:42Whatever he has spoken, whatever the vision was created, that's how it's been implemented now and you can see the
03:50change.
03:50So, that's the brand that we have.
03:53And we got in the best policies.
03:56Right.
03:57With guidelines.
03:58Because in previous government, 19 to 24, there were some policies, there were no guidelines.
04:03They released the policy, there was no guidelines.
04:06It's like getting a new vehicle, but you don't hand over the keys.
04:10It's something like that.
04:10That happened in previous government.
04:12So, we released the guidelines with the best policies that were there.
04:16We looked in all the states in India and then compared and got the best policies, best policies and with
04:24the guidelines.
04:25That's the best part.
04:26So, when it comes to speed of doing business, I want to tell you, sir was speaking on other day.
04:32Chandra Babugaru was telling, Bharat, if at all, there is some kind of an investment, we will have to close
04:40it.
04:41We will have a virtual SIPC, virtual SIPB, virtual cabinet and we will close it on the same day.
04:48Will you please define the term SIPB?
04:50SIPC is headed by Chief Secretary and the bureaucrats, sir.
04:53And first state?
04:54State Investment Promotion Council.
04:56Right.
04:56And then SIPB is State Investment Promotion Board.
05:00Right.
05:00That is headed by Chandra Babugaru.
05:02And cabinet, you know, it's the cabinet, all the ministers are there.
05:04So, generally, when it is something which is not in the policy, something you want to do, a tailored made,
05:11geo or something like that, something unique, then you have to process because it has to be tomorrow legally everything
05:18should be perfect.
05:19So, we have this process.
05:20He said this is virtual kind of a thing that we'll be able to clear.
05:24I don't think anyone will be able to do that in India.
05:27So, he said that if you have a DPR ready, clear DPR, we will be able to do this in
05:34a day.
05:35This is what he said.
05:36If there is any kind of investment, big investments, and I don't want to lose because of the time.
05:41Like, generally, cabinet happens two times in a month.
05:44SIPB happens one time in a month.
05:46Right.
05:46SIPC, two times.
05:47So, there is a delay of one week, two weeks.
05:50Even for that, he doesn't want a delay.
05:52If at all, there is a project which is highly competitive with other states or anything else, even in outside
05:59India, and we want to grab it.
06:01This is what he told me.
06:03So, this is what it is.
06:04And then, in speed of doing business, why I tell you is, Lokej Garu has told, after we clear from
06:11the cabinet, have WhatsApp groups.
06:14That group, I am there in each of that group.
06:18More than 120 or 130 plus groups are there.
06:21In your own WhatsApp phone.
06:23I have all that.
06:25And I am there.
06:26Secretary is there.
06:26That district collector will be there.
06:29Director of industries will be there.
06:30API, CMD is there.
06:32And then important officers.
06:34And Lokej also is watching these.
06:35Lokej Garu keeps sending us every week to me or to the concerned industry list if there is any delay.
06:42He keeps sending it.
06:43He has got his own team.
06:45And he tells us, you know, this is what is the status.
06:49This is where you are struck.
06:50Why you are not moving or whatever it is.
06:51Because we want to catch up, sir.
06:53We want to catch up with all the southern states.
06:55Because we lost five years.
06:57You know, precious time is lost between 19 to 24.
07:00There was a stage where industrialists were, you know, scared to come and set up in Andhra Pradesh.
07:07There was decisions made in Far East that, you know, you go to India but not to Andhra Pradesh.
07:13That was the situation from 19 to 24.
07:16After we came back, we built in that confidence.
07:19We gave them that trust.
07:21If you, I would have at least met maybe 1,500 people in the last two years plus.
07:27All the industries, business people.
07:28So accessibility is very important.
07:31Your accessibility is very important.
07:33WhatsApp, someone is able to send you.
07:37Replaying is most important.
07:39And a lot of people, you know, they feel if you respond, whether the job is done or not is
07:45secondary.
07:46But at least you are able to access and you are accessible.
07:50And so that is the best part I am saying about the speed of business.
07:54No, I just want to get a practical example.
07:56And tomorrow if I tell you I want to build, I am an industrialist.
07:59By the way, Mr. Bharat himself is a big industrialist.
08:02And he has, you know, virtually gave up much of his industry to come and do public service here.
08:08And supposing I am the CEO of a company and I want to invest, say, 5,000 crores in a
08:12factory in Andhra Pradesh.
08:14How quickly will you give me land, power, water, environmental clearance and all the permissions I require to set up
08:20and start business?
08:21It all depends.
08:23Like, say, Arshlar Mittal, sir, for example, I would say steel plant.
08:26It's one of the biggest steel plant.
08:28Once it is done, it will be the largest producer in India.
08:32So we were able to get the EC clearance in less than eight to nine months.
08:35EC clearance getting for such big land.
08:38Environmental clearance.
08:39Yeah, environmental clearance.
08:39It's not so easy.
08:41This is done in eight months.
08:42And if you say from approval side, as I told you, if at all the DPR is ready and the
08:50KPMG, we have a consultant.
08:53So they clear the DPR.
08:55We will be able to clear it in a month's time.
08:58Or if it is done today and we have it in the next SIPC is on fourth, for example.
09:03Right.
09:03It will get through the fourth SIPC.
09:05Cabinet is on seventh.
09:06If we have SIPB in between, we will clear it by seventh.
09:09So today is, what, 29th.
09:11So we will be able to do it by the seventh.
09:13If your DPR is ready by today.
09:16You are saying for the time taken, barring the EC, which is not on your hands, that time taken, you
09:22will collapse to a month or less than a month to get clearances.
09:25We are doing and it is being done.
09:27That's why we see, you see 14 lakh crore plus investments cleared from the cabinet, sir, as of now.
09:34And we have a big promise, 20 lakh jobs to be created in five years.
09:39So we are running.
09:42You know, we are hungry.
09:43We have to, what is committed before elections, we want to complete it in this five years.
09:47So that's the reason so aggressively we are trying to promote ourselves, giving the best policies, trying to clear the
09:55projects on time,
09:57finding out if there is any issues, trying to get it sorted out.
10:00If your land, land availability is the biggest thing in any other stage.
10:04But for Andhra, we are able to resolve lots of things and lands are easily given to the industries.
10:10And I think there is no issue.
10:12One of the complaints that come from other finance minister, I mean, industries minister, including the Karnataka one,
10:19he says you're giving land at one rupees an acre and look, it's completely unviable.
10:24So how are you doing this and what makes you all so confident that you're not just giving off land
10:29and, you know,
10:30you get the backlash subsequently that you sold these land to?
10:33As I told you, sir, now you give me a DPR.
10:36DPR is evaluated and you must have committed, say, 5,000 crore of investment.
10:41Say, example, 2,000 people are going to be given job.
10:45So it's a sale agreement that we do.
10:47We don't do sale deed.
10:49So you have to complete that investment and the employment.
10:54Then it is converted into sale deed.
10:56Till then it is sale agreement.
10:58So there is no value.
11:00You know that once the sale deed is done, only there is a lot of incentive.
11:03So if you have got some incentive use, the sale deed is connected to that.
11:07You have to complete the sale deed.
11:09It means you have to fulfill this formula.
11:11And if it is not done in so-and-so time, we actually keep sending notices.
11:15We are cancelling.
11:16We are cancelling.
11:17There is a penalty clause if we don't…
11:19Penalty is there, extension of time.
11:21If some require, they do.
11:22If not, we cancel the lands also.
11:24And for what you are saying, free, what is the point of keeping the land, sir, with the
11:30state government, ideally?
11:31You are not giving…
11:33I am not taking it, not the government or any cabinet ministers are taking or the MLS
11:39are taking.
11:40We are giving the lift policy to the top 500 companies in the world.
11:44So, and then with the job, like say, I think there is a sum ratio that, you know, one crore
11:51of investment to that extent, one is to one, something like that.
11:55There is some ratios that has to be fulfilled.
11:58There is a policy in frame.
12:00It's not like whoever wants, they come and take it at one rupee.
12:02It is not possible.
12:03If I want, I'm an investor.
12:05If I want, I will not be able to get.
12:07You should be in Fortune 500 companies and you have to fulfill a lot of other conditions.
12:12Then you are eligible to get at one rupee.
12:14And then you will have to complete it within, what, 16 months, 18 months because it's an
12:17IT thing.
12:18It's not something like a manufacturing which takes three to four years.
12:21It is like one and a half year, one year.
12:23If you are not done, we are going to cancel the agreement.
12:26So, what's your score in the last cricket score or investment score and breaking ground
12:32score?
12:32What would you, how would you benchmark your successes?
12:35So, as I told you, sir, from cabinet, we cleared around 14 lakh crore plus with the
12:41recent cabinet.
12:42And then if you take the MOUs, and believe me, sir, MOUs, if Chandra Babu Garu thinks
12:48that MOUs we want to showcase, we would have done 50 lakh crore of investments for MOU.
12:53We didn't do that.
12:54We did little due diligence, proper due diligence was done.
12:59Last year, partnership summit in VISAG, we did around 12 lakh crore plus investments.
13:04And then every MOU we are reviewing to see that it gets grounded.
13:09Grounded means they have to prepare DPR, submit it, and then the process is on.
13:13And then we are following up.
13:15Similar process is there for even the cabinet cleared projects also.
13:19We are seeing that whatever commitments are done, they have to get grounded as soon as
13:24possible.
13:24If it is not getting grounded, we are cancelling it.
13:27There is no hesitation.
13:27It's not like that we have announced, again, if you cancel, there is an issue.
13:32Sandra Babu Garu is telling recently, also CM Garu was telling in last cabinet, if someone
13:36is not ready, they are not going to take off.
13:38Cancel it.
13:39I have no problems.
13:40Let whatever people think, I am not bothered.
13:42But the reality should be there.
13:45That's what he keeps telling, you know.
13:46So he expects delivery from that side as well, not necessarily just from the government.
13:50But that's what I want to also come to.
13:52How do you convert, you are trying to do a 21st century kind of investment business, right,
13:58and get people and attract investment.
14:00But you possibly have a 20th century bureaucracy with all the ills of that bureaucracy, including
14:08what we call greasing and everything else, right?
14:10In the past, this became a huge sort of way of, you know, making money.
14:16How do you prevent that and how do you ensure that if I come, I don't have to pay anybody
14:21across, I get my business done, I'm not greasing anyone.
14:24How do you ensure that speed and also the honesty and efficiency of it?
14:29So I'll tell you, sir, for incentives, sir is after doing an escrow mechanism.
14:35So why is it escrow, I would say?
14:37There is no one in India who has done that escrow mechanism.
14:40We are going to get it very soon.
14:42So the incentives, whatever, are declared, like someone is getting 40%, 30%, 50%, whatever,
14:47once he does the project, the incentives has to be given from the government.
14:50So that is where you feel that, you know, the bureaucrats, they trouble, they do something,
14:55or the officers.
14:57So the escrow mechanism will clear all this, you know?
15:01There is nothing.
15:02You upload everything.
15:03There is a clearance.
15:04Try and build the artificial intelligence tools.
15:06If it is all cleared, it gets credited to your account.
15:09This will be the first in India to get that kind of mechanism.
15:14And then, you know, the DPRs, once it is done, and if it is not processed or anything gets delayed,
15:22you know, it is actually, if it is DPR is submitted and it is not cleared and it is getting
15:30delayed,
15:31it is flat to Lokesh Garu's office or Lokesh Garu's notice it goes or to the minister,
15:36why is it delayed?
15:38So we follow it up.
15:39Not only this, sir, e-office.
15:41I don't know whether any other state does.
15:43E-office, how fast every officer, every cabinet minister is clearing their files.
15:49Sir reviews every three months, put it on the dashboard, openly to everybody sees that,
15:55and ranking is given based on how fast you are clearing the e-office.
16:00Like, say, within eight hours or ten hours, in days or whatever.
16:05If someone is, you know, for six days or seven days if someone is doing it,
16:10they were asked, why have you done six to seven days?
16:13Give me a note.
16:14That is how we are being monitored.
16:17So what's it like to work for Chandrababu Naidu on this, the new avatar of Chandrababu Naidu?
16:22Is it like the old or what's the big difference?
16:24For me, sir, I'm not getting holidays.
16:27I'm struggling, actually.
16:29I like to travel, but I'm, you know, finding it difficult to travel with, you know,
16:34suddenly something, some other program suddenly, sir, announces.
16:37Because generally, you know, we knew Chandrababu Garu this time that, you know,
16:44on a holidays or something, there will not be anything.
16:46But sometimes, you know, holidays are also becoming a working day.
16:50So it is like…
16:51So never a dull moment in all your feet all the time.
16:53Once done, it is done that day.
16:55Next day, what is that you're going to do?
16:57It is not like you're done and dusted, it's over.
16:59Sir keeps, you know, this is over, boss.
17:02Next what?
17:03What I…
17:04Now 14 lakh crore, okay, fine.
17:0510 lakh job employment.
17:07Next.
17:08So every cabinet, our SIPB, I would say, on average, we are doing around 50 to 60,000
17:15crores of investments clearance is being done.
17:18I think, Chandrababu Garu, this is the first time in the fourth term, I think this kind
17:23of aggressiveness in pushing things, because we want to catch up.
17:27Really, we want to catch up with a lot of other southern states, because we lost the
17:31precious time of five years.
17:33One of the things that, say, even when you…
17:35First, let's look at global capital.
17:38Very difficult to get.
17:39Indian capital is difficult.
17:40Global capital, even more difficult.
17:42When you go there and talk to them and look at it, what is it that they say they want,
17:47and how do you then provide that speed or whatever it is to ensure that global capital, like you
17:52had Oslo Middle, you had talked about, right?
17:54What is it that they look at and the other states can learn from it and compete with you
17:59all as well, right?
18:00So, again, I'll tell you, Davos, sir, Davos is a place, world leaders come, all the big
18:06industries come, all of the world business people, they come every year, WEF is for World
18:12Economic Forum.
18:13So, every time we, last two years I've been there, fortunately, and I think Andhra Pradesh,
18:19we were able to, you know, pitch in the best in promoting the state in WEF.
18:24And one of the example, again, Arshala Mittal, because you mentioned, this we were able to
18:31clear it in 45 minutes of a Zoom call by Lokesh Garu, which was pending, from 2018, they wanted
18:38to go to some other state, that didn't get processed.
18:42Then he realized that I met so-and-so time in WEF, Lokesh Garu, after coming back to power,
18:48he had a Zoom call of 45 minutes, convinced, he said everything will be done, whatever,
18:54you know, the ask for there, everything will be done, and 45 minutes, we were able to close
18:59that 1,35,000 crores of investment.
19:01And, basically, it's the, I think, sir, over a period, you know, the credibility goes up.
19:07Chandrabhu Garu has got the fourth thumb, they have seen him, things, you have seen everywhere,
19:14I mean, the way he goes and when he presents also, everybody appreciates, and live example
19:20is, again, the Hyderabad, the city, how it's grown.
19:22So, when he talks, they feel that, you know, he talks in reality, it is not like something
19:28from Baobali film or something like that, it is the reality that he speaks, Amrabhati
19:32that is happening is going to be, really, it's happening there.
19:36So, lots of things, I mean, that's the credibility that he has got, so people believe in him, every
19:41entrepreneur, like, if I am, I'm a businessman, I will understand which politician I'm speaking,
19:46what is his background.
19:47That is how we are all, you know, we see whether, what he talks, how he talks, whether he's
19:52done, we do all the check, right?
19:54The similar way, when abroad or everywhere, anywhere, I think that credibility is there
19:59with Chandrabhu Garu.
20:00That is the biggest thing.
20:01That's why I keep telling CBN brand is the best thing that we have.
20:05Okay, but one of the things that when you attract capital and investment and industry wants
20:10to come in, they also don't just look at land and everything, they also have to have
20:14a lifestyle.
20:15Now, Hyderabad might have been easier because it was already an established city, so you're
20:19expanding greater Hyderabad and you can get more investments.
20:22And there's also the logistics and everything else.
20:24How are you all developing this aspect of it?
20:26One is the logistics, connectivity and everything else.
20:29Two is every CEO or any of their families, they need places to stay, schools, lifestyle.
20:35How are you ensuring that atmosphere grows?
20:38Because you probably have Vizag and Vishakuparnam, but you need to develop these centers into huge
20:43livable centers as well.
20:45Yeah, so Vizag, as I told you, sir, it looks like South France.
20:48I don't know whether you've been to Vizag.
20:50Yes, it's very beautiful.
20:51Yeah, and we have now the Bogapuram Airport, which has come up recently inaugurated by Honorable
20:57Prime Minister.
20:57It's one of the best airports.
20:59So I think airports, again, plays an important role.
21:03So Vizag has got the best airport now.
21:06It's the best living, livable city.
21:09And I think the IT area and all, we are focusing on that particular area, like data centers,
21:14IT companies and all in that particular zone.
21:16So we, from north to south, we are trying to build everywhere, you know, all districts should
21:25have industries.
21:26That's why SIR has been promoting 175 MSME parks has to be built in all the consciences so
21:32that the MLA also can promote their consciences.
21:35Right.
21:35Even the small kind of MSME small units or someone would like to set up an industry or something,
21:41MSME parks will be there so that they can do something locally, whatever is available.
21:46We are trying to educate these are available natural resources are there, natural availability
21:51is there.
21:52So you can do this kind of business somewhere here.
21:55So this is one thing that we are trying to do for MSMEs.
21:59And then I think basically it's a cluster-based approach that we are doing, sir.
22:06You know, we have the longest coastline, 1053 of kilometers of coastline.
22:12So we're building new ports.
22:14Seaports are coming up.
22:16And then port-based industries like chemical park also we are planning.
22:23Like solar, you know, in last two years, the capacity manufacturing that were committed
22:32to Andhra Pradesh is something like close to 40, 50 gigawatt of manufacturing units are
22:40going to set up in Andhra Pradesh.
22:42In just two years, these are all happened in just two years.
22:45So you work cluster-based?
22:46Cluster-based, yes.
22:46Solar industry, you've got the chemical.
22:48Solar we have.
22:49We have space.
22:50What else are there?
22:50We have drone.
22:52Right.
22:52We have automotive.
22:53So chemicals, pharma, all this kind of, you know, toy park also we are planning.
22:59So similarly, you know, because there's a lot of job generation in this park.
23:04So cluster-based approach like how Japan has done, cluster-based approach very successfully.
23:09We are also trying to build cluster-based approach in Andhra Pradesh.
23:13And for the startups, what are you all doing for your startups?
23:16Because that's where you also provide a lot of incentives for your local population as
23:21well, right?
23:22So for startups, sir, Ratan Tata Innovation Hub, we have started, so we have hub and spoke
23:28model.
23:29So wherein it is not just someone has got an idea, someone has got a DPR, and then it is
23:35not like you just get funded from someone from the big company.
23:38It is not like that.
23:39Right.
23:39Hand-holding is given, whether your DPR is perfect to make it more perfect or your project
23:47this way if you do, it will be more, I mean, more successful or whatever.
23:52So we try and educate them.
23:55The hand-holding is given from Ratan Tata Innovation Hub, and we have, you know, the hub and spoke
24:01models where we have in Anthapur and then Rajmandri and Amravati in different locations, Vizac,
24:07all this.
24:08So these locations, we have identified the big companies that they should hand-hold these
24:14guys who are going to apply.
24:16You should hand-hold.
24:17All locals.
24:18Your Andhra, Andhra.
24:19So someone would like to come.
24:20Like, like maybe in Hyderabad, T-Hub, what they do is if your project is done, they try
24:26and figure out with some VCN.
24:27But here it is not like that.
24:29We want to sail with them.
24:30That particular company who is going to take care of the, who has given the project report
24:35has to sail through him.
24:38There will be full guidance, hand-holding, till he takes off successfully, very successfully
24:42or whatever.
24:43So your model is, the Andhra model is also to get a lot of local entrepreneurship going as
24:49well as workers there.
24:50You're not importing a lot of workers and bringing…
24:52No, no, no, no.
24:53Sir, even, I'll tell you, sir, for the industry list, we are asking specifically what is that
24:59skill set that they'll have to gain, you know, to work, to get jobs in that particular
25:05industry.
25:06So we are trying to take the, what is the task from them, what is that they want, and
25:13then trying to link to ITA colleges, engineering colleges, degrees, whatever.
25:18This is what, you know, in the, in your curriculum, just add this as a subject to that so that
25:24they,
25:25they gain knowledge.
25:26And they, by the time they finish their ITA or engineering colleges, they can easily absorb,
25:32get absorbed in that particular industry.
25:33So we are trying to take that from the skills, we have a corporation, skill corporation, so
25:40there is an officer, he tries to take from every company who is getting grounded, take
25:45their inputs and try to connect to the colleges nearby so that the local talent is, you know,
25:50is ensured.
25:51So whatever it is, it could be around 80, 85 percent.
25:54You need experienced guys, right?
25:56So then you'll have to outsource from somewhere, some other state or experience.
26:01But majority would like to try and come and, you know, take it from local.
26:06Otherwise, for them also, it's going to be very expensive.
26:08If it is non-local, for them, you'll have to provide lodging and a lot of things will
26:13be there, additional costs.
26:14So I think industries also know very well that they would like to have local people.
26:19Time's up, but I have one question for you.
26:20You know, Andhra is always, Andhra Pradesh and Andhra particularly, always very enterprising.
26:26A lot of them went abroad, set up industries, did things big over there, and heading big
26:32institutions.
26:33Do you have a scheme to get back like China did?
26:36And the fact that you have Trump there, right, who is dissuading a lot of Indians and others
26:43from, you know, there's a mobility issue over there, raising the cost of H-1B.
26:47Are you seeing a return back, come back to your soil kind of movement that you are trying
26:53and you say, OK, set up an industry, I'll give you some incentives.
26:55Is there anything for, if I'm returning back and coming back to my son of the soil thing,
27:00are you offering any incentives for them or?
27:02No, naturally there is, see, for small scale also there is a policy, sir.
27:08I mean, you have a policy for everything.
27:10So you have incentives for any kind of industry or any business that you would like to set
27:16up.
27:16There are people who would like to set up within this 200.
27:19We have an early bird incentive.
27:22So they get like close to 20% extra if you are able to, you know, invest more than 50
27:28crore
27:28or something and then you are going to be, you're going to fit in in that below 200.
27:33There's an early bird incentive.
27:35And then sir is also promoting that, you know, work from home.
27:40Chandra Babugar is very, very ambitious that, you know, we should, people should be able
27:46to have the broadband facility from the houses.
27:49They should, anyways, work from home has now become the new normal.
27:53A lot of IT industries, even now there are people who are working from home.
27:58Parallely, they can also develop people because work from home, it is not like eight hours
28:03you are going to be on the system.
28:04They are given their work.
28:05If you are completing within an hour or so, that's enough.
28:08I mean, you are done.
28:09So balance time, if they can, you know, improve the area of wherever, village or town or city,
28:16the guys who would like to do something more, the help will be there from these kind of people
28:22also.
28:23So that's why we are trying to build the broadband strongly to the village level also.
28:29So they'll have, they'll be able to do business or whatever they would like to do with the
28:35support of, from the government.
28:37Okay, I'm going to give you one minute and you'll be the salesman.
28:39And why should anyone come and invest in Andhra Pradesh?
28:42We have, you should trust us because we have proven, Chandrababu Naidu Garu is a proven
28:50chief minister.
28:51You have seen Hyderabad.
28:52It is all because of him.
28:53Everybody accepts that, whether they like or not.
28:56This is the fact.
28:57And you have seen Hyderabad.
28:58And we have the best policies.
29:00We are going to get the escrow mechanism.
29:03I think nobody is going to have that kind of mechanism like how we are going to do it
29:08very soon.
29:09So that's the best part.
29:11And we have the best policies, best incentives that we'll be able to give compared to any
29:15of their states.
29:16And the speed.
29:18That's the most important.
29:19The speed of doing business.
29:20And with that, let's give Mr. Bharat a very, very warm round of applause.
29:24There's an Andhra model that's unfurling and all the southern states can learn from it.
29:28Thank you very much, Mr. Bharat, for taking time out.
29:31Thank you, sir, for joining us here at the India Today Conclave South.
29:34Can I request Raj to hand over a token of our appreciation to Mr. Bharat, please, for joining
29:39us here at the India Today Conclave South, taking the time out and making a pitch for Andhra Pradesh.
30:02Thank you very much, Minister, for joining us.