Identifying the port city of Visakhapatnam as an industry powerhouse, Dr N Yuvaraj, IAS, Secretary Commerce & Industries Department Government of Andhra Pradesh said that the city of Vizag has seen significant industrial growth over the past few years.

Acknowledging Vizag to be a home to a slew of PSUs such as RINL, VPA, HSL, HPCL, and Indian Navy etc. he said that the private sector too has played a major part in the industrial growth of the city.

‘One of the best success stories out of Vizag has been the pharma city built on PPP mode’ said the Secretary Commerce & Industries Department GoAP addressing a CII Visakhapatnam gathering on Destination Visakhapa- tnam: “The Growth Hub of India”.

He similarly highlighted Vizag’s tourism sector to have immense potential for growth and also the availability of skilled manpower in the city to be a key driver in attracting industries.

Dr N Yuvaraj however opined that the time is ripe for further industrial development to take place outside the city’s periphery due to lack of availability of industrial land in the city.

‘To my mind the city has to expand to the periphery and polluting industries should be coming up on the outskirts of the city. Look at how Chennai’s industrial growth has led the city to expand to a much larger geographical area’ he said.

He therefore called upon industry at large to focus on creating satellite cities where further growth can take place. ‘I urge industry to help us identify areas in and around Vizag which can be further aggrandized for industrial development.’ 

Also addressing the gathering was Ms Jennifer Larson, US’s Consul General at the Consulate General, Hyderabad wherein she spoke on some of the similarities between Vizag and SFO.

‘Vizag is poised to become an economic powerhouse for India’s eastern coast’ said the US’s CG.

Citing US Ambassador Mr Eric Garcetti she said that their top priorities were categorised as the 3Cs Climate, Culture, and Cities. 

The third of these  cities  would be a key focus area to strengthen the U.S.-India relationship, she further added.

She therefore said that cities like Vizag symbolize the rise and growth of India. Ms Larson spoke on the innovative spirit of Vizag and highlighted the importance of both the Telugu speaking states i.e. Telangana and AP.

‘Telugu is the fastest growing language in the United states. 50% of Indian students in the USA come from AP&T’ said the US consul general.

‘Almost every family here has a family member in the United States, whether it is someone studying or working or having some other connection’ opined Ms Larson. 

Speaking on the Defence sector she said that while we both celebrate the success of India’s Moon mission, we are aiming to launch joint NISAR satellite from Andhra Pradesh just few weeks from now. 

Vizag plays a critical part in the deal to transfer critical U.S. military technology to help indigenization of Indian Defence manufacturing at the headquarters of India’s ENC.