'If Goa gets married to Bengaluru, Vizag will be the child': Nara Lokesh on why Naidu govt 'sold' 21 acres to TCS at 99 paise

Nara Lokesh

Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh on Wednesday explained why Vishakhapatnam is emerging as suitable destination for IT industry and said that the city has amazing talent pool, great infrastructure, and land at subsidized price which can attract further investments.

He made these remarks when asked to give details of TCS deal where the IT major gets 21 acre land for development centre in Visakhapatnam for 99 paise.

"This is a sale of land at 99 paise and this project of TCS is expected to create close to 12,000 IT jobs in Visakhapatnam, which is the IT capital of the state of Andhra Pradesh. We are excited to have TCS land finally in Visakhapatnam, and we are looking forward to inviting the other larger IT players also to come down and set the shop up in Visakhapatnam. Visakhapatnam is not just about the land. If you look at the IT sector, people from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana — the Telugu speaking people — have a very large role to play," Lokesh told CNBC TV18

"We have amazing talent pool, we have great infrastructure, and as a state, we are willing to give land at a very subsidised price. I keep joking and telling people that if Goa were to marry Bangalore and have a child, that could be Visakhapatnam. We have it all, and we believe that this could be the trigger for larger investments coming to Visakhapatnam," he added.

The land allotment is part of the state govt's efforts to make Vizag as a key technology hub. Last year in October, Nara Lokesh had urged the tech major to consider Andhra Pradesh for its next large-scale development center.

The state govt held continuous discussions with TCS in the following months , ultimately leading to Monday’s cabinet approval.

The move, officials say, is designed to send a strong message to the industry: Andhra Pradesh is open and competitive when it comes to attracting top-tier technology investments.

The decision also draws comparisons to a well-known industrial playbook, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as Gujarat Chief Minister, famously allotted land to Tata Motors in Sanand for 99 paisa.