Andhra Pradesh woos Foxconn with offer of 'Manufacturing City' and subsidies

Andhra Pradesh's Education and IT Minister, Nara Lokesh, has extended a grand invitation to electronics giant Foxconn, urging them to establish a "manufacturing city" in the state and promising comprehensive support and subsidies. Lokesh met with Foxconn representatives this week.

"Since you are planning to expand your activities across India, I want you to establish, not a mere one more unit, but a mega manufacturing city in the State. We will extend all cooperation for this,” Lokesh told the delegation. He further highlighted the state government's ambitious target of creating 20 lakh jobs for youth and expressed confidence in Foxconn's potential contribution to this goal.

Lokesh assured Foxconn of a dedicated policy framework to facilitate their investment, including subsidies specifically aimed at boosting employment. He also promised the development of a new electronics policy to further incentivise the sector.

The Minister highlighted Andhra Pradesh's existing resources and the previous Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government's successful track record in attracting investments, citing the Kia Motors plant as a prime example. "Whatever assistance you need for the establishment of a mega manufacturing city, I will personally look after that and we will formulate a special plan for this,” Lokesh affirmed.

Foxconn's Indian representative, Vi Li, acknowledged the efforts of former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu in attracting investment and expressed a desire to rekindle the positive relationship between the company and the state. While acknowledging past challenges, Li confirmed Foxconn's global expansion plans and expressed interest in exploring opportunities in Andhra Pradesh.

According to an official statement, Foxconn is considering establishing units in various sectors, including electric vehicle manufacturing, semiconductors, digital health, and manufacturing components. Li reportedly assured Lokesh of Foxconn's commitment to contributing towards the 20 lakh jobs target.

The meeting concluded with a tentative agreement from Foxconn representatives to invest significantly in Andhra Pradesh and generate large-scale employment opportunities. Lokesh urged them to commence their planning process as soon as possible.