Plans afoot to make VER a $125-135 billion economy by 2032 with support of NITI Aayog: CM Naidu

Visakhapatnam Economic Region (VER) comprising nine districts will be transformed into a $125 to 135 billion economy by FY 2032, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu declared on Friday.

During a review meeting with the Collectors, SPs, district in-charge Ministers and senior officials at A1 Convention Centre here, he said comprehensive action plans are being drawn to augment infrastructure and bring new investments as per the recommendations made by the NITI Aayog from time to time.

He underlined the need for preparing VER Master Plan and took stock of the plans for 49 projects related to comprehensive development of Visakha Economic Region with world-class roads, railways, ports, logistics and other sectors.

Formulation of action plans will be made separately for departments like Commerce, Industries, Municipal Administration, Tourism, Infrastructure, Roads, IT, Agriculture, Forestry, Health, Education, Skill Training, Power..

NITI Aayog, which is extending its support for developing Visakhapatnam, Mumbai, Surat, Varanasi and Pune as growth hubs, in a recent report said it aims to make city-regions engines of growth by focusing on developing the regions as growth hubs. It will help develop a strategic roadmap for promoting economic growth in selected city-regions in a mission mode. It adds $500 to 750 billion in GDP and creates 20 to 25 million new jobs in the next five to seven years and creates templates for four cities during the piloting stage.

Ministers Nara Lokesh, Kinjarapu Achchen Naidu, Narayana, TG Bharat, Kandula Durgesh, Kondapalli Srinivas, Dola Sribala Veeranjaneya Swamy, Kollu Ravindra attended. Chief Secretary K. Vijayanad, HoDs, top officials from Srikakulam, Vijayanagaram, Visakhapatnam, ASR, Parvathipuram Manyam, Anakapalli, Kakinada, East Godavari, Ambedkar Konaseema districts were present.

While the growth hub project is at implementation stage in Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Surat and Visakhapatnam, it is in the process of publishing a report on the Varanasi Economic Region and work has been initiated for the Pune Economic Region.

VER spans across nine districts and is positioned as a key growth corridor on India’s eastern coast. The plan envisions VER supported by seven identified growth drivers including manufacturing, IT, agriculture, tourism, healthcare, urbanisation and infrastructure. The region is projected to generate $60–70 billion in incremental GVA and create 2–2.4 million jobs over the period. A dedicated implementation mechanism is to be established, working closely with State departments, NITI Aayog, and Central ministries to ensure coordinated execution, timely problem-solving, and accountability throughout the rollout of the VER Master Plan.

Meanwhile, in a GO issued on Friday, the government stated that to operationalize the Swarna Andhra @2047 Vision, the State has established Vision Action Plan Units at multiple levels, including District Vision Action Plan Units (DVAPUs) and Constituency Vision Action Plan Units (CVAPUs) across all 175 Assembly Constituencies. This structure ensures the vision is embedded into day-to-day governance rather than remaining a policy document. The units are responsible for tracking KPIs, coordinating across departments, ensuring data

consistency, and recommending timely corrective actions.

The GO said as part of the broader strategic framework, a Regional Economic Planning approach has been adopted. Three regions have been identified and economic developmental plans are proposed for Visakhapatnam, Tirupati and Amaravati. The first plan for VER has been completed in support with NITI Aayog and launched on November 13 at the CII Partnership Summit by the Chief Minister in Visakhapatnam. The remaining two plans will be developed in partnership with NITI Aayog and other technical agencies subsequently in a phased manner. In order to ensure the successful implementation of the initiative, and as announced by the Chief Minister, the government through the GO announced setting up of Regional Planning Board for VER, constituting the Steering Committee, the Executive Committee, and the Implementation Committee.