New Delhi: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide a $141.12 million loan for the development of industrial corridor in Andhra Pradesh. The loan amount will support the development of high-quality internal infrastructure such as roads, water supply systems and electricity distribution networks in three industrial clusters in Andhra Pradesh. The ADB signed an MoU with the Government of India in this regard on May 23, 2023.
This financing is the second tranche of the $500 million multi-tranche financing facility (MFF) for the programme approved by ADB in 2016 to build infrastructure in three industrial clusters in the Visakhapatnam and Srikalahasthi-Chittoor nodes in the state.
The ADB financing through adopting a multi-sectoral approach will help the state promote industrialisation to increase the share of manufacturing in the state’s gross domestic product, build competitiveness and create jobs in the project target areas.
Specifically, this financing will help strengthen industrial infrastructure in the Visakhapatnam node with the development of internal infrastructure in the start-up area of the 160-hectare (ha) Rambilli and 441-ha Nakkapalli industrial clusters, widening of 13.8-kilometre (km) of the Atchuthapuram–Anakapalli road and improvement of the 4.4 km access road to the Nakkapalli cluster. Internal infrastructure in the proposed clusters will include internal roads, stormwater drains, water supply systems, and electric power distribution systems. In the Srikalahasthi-Chittoor node, the project will help develop the start-up area of the 938-hectare Chittoor–South industrial cluster and improve a 9.5 km access road to the Chittoor-South industrial cluster and an 8.7-km access road to the Naidupeta industrial cluster.
Among the outputs, the project will support the state in rolling out an updated marketing action plan for investment promotion, and enhance the skills of people including the socially and economically vulnerable sections. To strengthen industrial cluster resilience under extreme weather, the project will help establish a green corridor model operational guidelines and develop a disaster risk management plan. For long-term sustainability, the program will formulate a plan to improve the operation and maintenance of start-up industrial clusters and will roll out a toolkit with gender-responsive and socially inclusive guidance to integrate industrial and urban planning including industry housing in areas adjacent to industrial clusters.
– global bihari bureau
