Union Budget forward-looking, supports Andhra priorities: CM Naidu

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday welcomed the Union Budget, describing it as forward-looking and aligned with the state governments development priorities. Describing the Budget as well-balanced and forward-looking, he said it reflects Indias self-reliance and will consolidate the countrys position in manufacturing.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday welcomed the Union Budget, describing it as forward-looking and aligned with the state government's development priorities. Describing the Budget as ''well-balanced and forward-looking'', he said it reflects India's self-reliance and will consolidate the country's position in manufacturing. ''The Union Budget is forward-looking and aligns with the state government's development priorities,'' Naidu said, addressing a press conference here. The CM congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for presenting a ''well-balanced budget''. The budget's emphasis on logistics, mentioned for the first time, aligned with the state government's focus on the sector and would generate large-scale livelihood opportunities, he said. ''The Union Budget is well balanced, forward looking. The Budget reflects self reliance and will consolidate our position in manufacturing. This would strengthen the ease of doing business. The Budget would play a great role in promoting and strengthening MSMEs,'' Naidu said. He further said women, farmers and youth are given top priority and that the Budget would contribute to their empowerment. Naidu said the Budget ultimately contributes to Prime Minister Modi's vision of India becoming the world's third-largest economy and achieving Viksit Bharat (a developed nation). He said the budget also provided clear direction for next-generation reforms, with a strong focus on artificial intelligence, advanced technologies, renewable energy and the 'One Nation One Grid' vision. Naidu said the proposed high-speed rail corridors connecting Hyderabad-Bengaluru, Hyderabad-Chennai and Bengaluru-Chennai would significantly benefit Andhra Pradesh, covering regions such as Tirupati, Amaravati, Palamaner and Chittoor. He said Andhra Pradesh's inclusion in the dedicated Rare Earth corridor would open opportunities for extracting high-value heavy minerals and strengthening critical electronics and semiconductor manufacturing. The chief minister said the allocation of Rs 40,000 crore under India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) 2.0 for semiconductors, along with incentives for textiles, tourism and hospitality, would boost employment and economic activity in the southern state. The TDP supremo said tax exemptions for data centres till 2047 would help India emerge as a global data centre hub, noting that several major data centres, including Google facilities, were coming up in Visakhapatnam. Naidu said artificial intelligence would be a game changer in the coming years, adding that an AI university and AI learning centres would be established to build future-ready skills. He said the mention of the East Coast corridor in the Budget would transform the coastline into a logistics hub, strengthening coastal cargo movement, inland waterways and freight connectivity. The chief minister said several ports in Andhra Pradesh would benefit by serving the logistics needs of neighbouring states, such as Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Maharashtra. He said the inclusion of container manufacturing in the Budget would further strengthen the logistics sector, as containers were critical to supply chains. Naidu said allocations for city agglomerations and growth centres would benefit the Visakhapatnam, Tirupati and Amaravati economic regions. Welcoming allocations for AYUSH and naturopathy, he stressed the need for integrated healthcare, noting that the Sanjeevani health project was being implemented as a pilot in Kuppam. He welcomed the 75 per cent credit guarantee for MSMEs, stating that the state government was providing an additional 20 per cent guarantee to improve access to credit. Naidu concluded that faster governance delivery and reforms aimed at ease of living would help Andhra Pradesh fully leverage the Budget's growth potential.

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