Visakhapatnam Steel Plant will not be privatised, says Nara Lokesh

Education and IT Minister Nara Lokesh on Tuesday reaffirmed that the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant will not be privatised.

Speaking in the Legislative Council during a short-duration discussion on “Industrial Development, Investments, Job Creation, and the Status of Vizag Steel Plant,” Mr. Lokesh said that Visakhapatnam Steel is Andhra Pradesh’s asset and will remain in the public sector. “TDP-BJP and Jana Sena Party are committed to this promise,” he added. The Minister also moved a resolution in the council thanking the Centre for protecting the Vizag Steel Plant.

Mr. Lokesh highlighted that in the past, the TDP-BJP had allocated ₹1,350 crore and prevented privatisation. “Now again, under the double-engine government — with Prime Minister Modi at the Centre and Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh — we saved it,” he said, noting that the Centre had allocated ₹11,500 crore for the plant’s revival.

On industrial development and investments, the Minister said the TDP government had repositioned Andhra Pradesh to compete with other States through strong industrial and investment policies. He noted that Kia Motors’ entry had transformed Anantapur, boosting per capita income from ₹70,000 to ₹2.3 lakh. Several global companies, including TCL, HCL, Dixon, Apollo Tyres, and PepsiCo, were attracted during the TDP’s earlier tenure.

Mr. Lokesh accused the YSR Congress Party of unleashing a reign of “economic terrorism,” citing the cancellation of PPAs, harassment of industries, and the exit of companies like Amara Raja and Franklin Templeton, which he said had set Andhra Pradesh back by 30 years.

Since 2024, Andhra Pradesh has signed 340 MoUs worth ₹10.4 lakh crore, with projects from ArcelorMittal, Google, Tata, Cognizant, Reliance, Lulu, and others. Major job creation initiatives include 25,000 IT jobs from Cognizant and 2.5 lakh jobs through Reliance’s Prakasam project, with a target to create five lakh IT jobs in Vizag.

Mr. Lokesh added that 90% of teachers in Andhra Pradesh were recruited under TDP through DSC. “During our rule, we filled 16,000 teacher posts through Mega DSC. Even though hundreds of cases were filed, the government did not halt this long-pending recruitment process,” he said.