TDP Rejects YSRCP's Claims on Industrial Growth

Mangalagiri: TDP State Official Spokesperson Appasani Rajesh on Monday accused the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) of spreading misinformation about the NDA government's industrial and employment record in Andhra Pradesh, asserting that official government data reflects significant industrial growth and investment under Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

Addressing a press conference at the TDP Central Office, Rajesh alleged that the YSRCP was misleading the public by comparing two different national assessments. He said the party was wrongly equating the Business Reforms Action Plan (BRAP) assessment conducted by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) with the Investment Friendliness Index 2026 released by NITI Aayog.

According to Rajesh, BRAP evaluates the implementation of business reforms and administrative processes, while the NITI Aayog index measures a state's investment ecosystem and its ability to attract and facilitate investments. Comparing the two, he said, was factually incorrect.

He further alleged that the previous YSRCP government weakened investor confidence through decisions such as cancelling power purchase agreements, scrapping infrastructure tenders and discontinuing the Amaravati Startup Area project, which he claimed negatively affected Andhra Pradesh's image among investors.

Citing figures placed in the Legislative Council by the previous government, Rajesh said 39,450 industries, including 39,213 MSMEs and 237 medium and large industries, were established between 2014 and 2019. He added that investments worth Rs.5,13,351 crore were grounded during the period, generating employment for more than five lakh people.

Highlighting the performance of the present NDA government, Rajesh said investment proposals worth nearly Rs.23 lakh crore had been secured, accounting for 25.3 percent of the country's total investment proposals. He said the State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) has approved proposals worth nearly Rs.12.70 lakh crore across 19 meetings, with projects being supported through faster approvals and infrastructure facilitation.

Rajesh also said the government has already secured around 16 lakh employment opportunities through public and private sector initiatives. He noted that recruitment for 16,347 DSC teacher posts and 5,757 police constable posts has been completed, while the process to fill over 10,000 university faculty positions is underway.

Responding to criticism over the latest NITI Aayog assessment, Rajesh clarified that the report classifies states into Achievers, Fast Movers and Aspirers, rather than assigning numerical rankings. He said Andhra Pradesh's placement in the Fast Movers category reflected its ability to process investment proposals quickly and convert them into grounded projects.

Rajesh alleged that the YSRCP was resorting to political propaganda because of the State's industrial revival and reiterated that the NDA government remains committed to making Andhra Pradesh the country's preferred investment destination while creating large-scale employment opportunities.