Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated and laid the foundation for projects worth Rs 58,000 crore here that included relaunching the construction of the greenfield capital Amaravati, which he said was not a mere city but "a dream come true".
Further, Amaravati is not just a town but a Shakti to transform Andhra Pradesh into a developed state, he said and assured full cooperation for the development of the southern state, helmed by the TDP-led NDA.
The N Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is a key ally of the ruling BJP at the Centre.
The establishment of Amaravati as a capital city is touted to be Naidu's dream project, following the bifurcation of the state in 2014 when Hyderabad, capital of the then united AP, became the capital for the newly carved Telangana.
Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation for 94 projects, including capital city institutions, national highways, railway upgrades and defence-related installations.
On the occasion, Modi announced he will lead the International Yoga Day celebrations on June 21 in the state, following an invitation from CM Naidu.
Envisioning Amaravati as a city where the dreams of Andhra Pradesh's youth will come true, the Prime Minister highlighted that in the coming years, it will emerge as a leading city in Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Green Energy, Clean Industry, Education and Healthcare.
Naidu and his deputy Pawan Kalyan among others were present.
"Today, projects worth Rs 60,000 crore have been launched. These projects are not just concrete structures but they are a strong foundation of the ambitions of Andhra Pradesh and Viksit Bharat," he said.
"We all know Indralok's capital name was Amaravati and now Amaravati is the capital of Andhra Pradesh. This is not just a coincidence. This is a good sign for the construction of Swarna Andhra," he further said, referring to the TDP-led NDA government's ambitious target to transform the state into a USD 2.4 trillion economy by 2047.
'Swarna Andhra' will strengthen the path of Viksit Bharat and Amaravati will give energy to its vision, he added.
"I would like to reassure the people of Andhra Pradesh, and my associates who are sitting here that you will always find me with you for the development of Andhra Pradesh," Modi said.
Further, referring to the iconic former Chief Minister N T Rama Rao, popularly known as NTR, he said the late leader had dreamt of a developed Andhra Pradesh.
"We have to work unitedly to make Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh the growth engine of Viksit Bharat," Modi said.
"We have fulfil NTR's dream. Chandrababu, brother Pawan Kalyan, we have to do it and we only have to do it," he said.
As part of resuming the construction of Amaravati, the PM laid the foundation stone for 74 projects worth Rs 49,000 crore, which encompassed the construction of the Assembly, Secretariat and High Court buildings and judicial residential quarters, along with housing buildings for 5,200 families.
Among others, the PM laid foundation for infrastructure and flood mitigation projects featuring a 320 km long world-class transport network with underground utilities and advanced flood management systems in the greenfield capital city.
The land pooling scheme infrastructure projects will cover 1,281 km of roads equipped with central medians, cycle tracks, and integrated utilities across the greenfield capital city of Amaravati.
Likewise, the PM laid the foundation for nine Central projects worth Rs 5,028 crore, such as DRDO라이브 바카라 missile testing centre (Rs 1,459 crore) at Nagayalanka in Krishna district, Unity mall in Vizag (Rs 100 crore), Guntakal–Mallappa Gate Rail overbridge (Rs 293 crore) and six national highway projects (Rs 3,176 crore).
He said the Navdurga Testing Range to be built in Nagayalanka will strengthen the country's defence power just like Maa Durga and congratulate the country's scientists and the Andhra people for this.
The missile testing centre will comprise a launch centre, technical instrumentation facilities, indigenous radars, telemetry and electro-optical systems, enhancing the country's defence preparedness.
The PM Ekta Mall or Unity mall at Madhurawada in Visakhapatnam has been envisioned with the objective of fostering national integration, supporting the Make in India initiative, promoting 'One District One Product' initiative, generating employment opportunities, empowering rural artisans, and enhancing the market presence of indigenous products.
The six national highway projects for which he laid the foundation include the widening of various sections of NH, construction of elevated corridor, half clover leaf and road over bridge among others.
Likewise, the construction of rail over bridge between Guntakal West and Mallappa gate stations aims to bypass goods trains and slash congestion at the Guntakal Junction.
Similarly, the PM dedicated three railway projects worth Rs 254 crore to the nation. Further, Modi inaugurated eight national highway projects worth Rs 3,860 crore.
Modi said that India is now among the countries where infrastructure was rapidly modernising. Viksit Bharat will be built on four pillars - poor, farmers, youth and women power, he added.
The PM pointed out that between 2009 and 2014, the combined railway budget for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana was less than Rs 900 crore, whereas today, Andhra Pradesh alone has a railway budget exceeding Rs 9,000 crore.
