AP will be developed into a Knowledge Society: Naidu

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu congratulated the first graduating class of RGUKT University on Monday in Hyderabad.

Addressing 2,000 students of the IIIT Basara, Kadapa and Nuzvid, the Chief Minister said his vision for Andhra Pradesh is to develop it into a knowledge society of a global repute, with a focus on enhancing the quality of life of its citizens -- through high-quality education and incorporating technology into their ideas. The Andhra Pradesh Government will focus on electronics and IT industry and create jobs for 5 lakh people in the next few years. In an effort to give impetus to technical education, colleges with under-graduate courses in software, electronics & computer science will make internship mandatory in final year of the course.

Chandrababu Naidu said AP needs an IT policy, an Electronics Policy and an Innovation Policy to meet the needs in the technology sector. “The new IT policy emphasizes the need for mega infrastructure, quality human resources and good governance. The Andhra Pradesh government will support setting up of premier IT institutes in the new state, in partnership with the top IT firms and foreign varsities. For the Silicon Corridor, the government will focus on fabless semi-conductor industry, manufacturing of electronic goods and components. He said that start-ups will get a major boost in the upcoming innovation policy. Focus also on companies using SMAC (Social media, mobile, Analytics and Cloud and IOT (Internet of Things) technologies.

Moreover, he urged students to not only to focus on classroom teaching but also develop required skills to come up with new innovations. If students focus on skill development, India can rise to global standards and stay on par with China and the United States of America.

Comparing India's skill set to China, the Chief Minister said China, under the Communist regime, has grown into a manufacturing hub. India, being a democracy, has the talent and human resources to reach that spot. He said that students should not only look for jobs but also create jobs for others. This, according to the Chief Minister, will help Indian students compete and excel globally. Given that the number of Internet users in India are rapidly growing, there is a dire need to make technology available even to the poorest of the people in this country.

The Chief Minister said the society must be driven by innovation. “A small city like Tel Aviv stands second only to the Silicon Valley in the degree of innovation. We too can create Innovation-driven cities with abundant talent and entrepreneurship we have in AP.”

The Chief Minister also urged students to participate in Andhra Pradesh's growth story.