AP govt seeks mega textile park in Kadapa dist

- Minister Reddy meets Union Minister Piyush Goyal

- Proposes for electrical equipment zone under PLI

- Offers 750 acres previously allotted to NTPC-BHEL plant

- Invites Goyal for inauguration of Medaxil office in Visakhapatnam

New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh Industries Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy on Thursday called on Union Commerce and Textile Minister Piyush Goyal and demanded setting up of a mega textile park at Kopparti in the Kadapa district, besides reducing the state's share in the Visakhapatnam-Chennai corridor from 20 to 10 per cent. The minister also requested the central government to set up one of the three electrical equipment zones to be set up in the country under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme to be set up in Andhra Pradesh.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Reddy said: "The Centre has plans to set up seven textile parks in the country. We have proposed the Centre to set up one at Kopparti." Besides a textile park, the minister requested the central government to look into the possibility of converting the 750 acres of land previously allotted to the NTPC-BHEL power plant at the Mannavaram village in the Chittoor district for setting up of an electrical equipment zone.

"The Centre is planning to set up three electrical equipment zones. Probably, the one at Mannavaram will be converted," he said.

Earlier in 2008, the NTPC-BHEL power project was proposed for manufacturing cold turbine but it has been a non-starter, he added. In the meeting, the state minister also requested the central government to reduce the state's share in the Visakhapatnam-Chennai corridor from 20 to 10 per cent.

"We get ADB funding for a corridor development up to 600 million tonnes in the ratio of 78:21. I have requested to change the ratio to 90:10. The state contribution will reduce by 10 per cent and will benefit the state," he added.

Reddy also invited the Union minister for the inauguration of the Medaxil office in the Med Tech Zone in Visakhapatnam. Andhra Pradesh Residence Bhavan Commissioner Bhavana Saxena, Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) Managing Director Subrahmanyam Jawwadi, and MedTech Zone CEO Jitendra Sharma, among others, were present in the meeting.