Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said that while other States are shocked and are viewing Google’s Data Centre in Vizag with great interest, some people over here were criticising the project without even understanding the basics of it or the benefits it could bring to the region. He also expressed surprise over claims that the Google data centre was already contributing to water shortages in Visakhapatnam, pointing out that construction of the project had not even gathered pace yet.

He was speaking at a public meeting after launching the ‘Swarna Andhra–Swachch Andhra’ programme at the ZP High School in A. Koduru village of K. Kotapadu mandal, under the Madugula Assembly constituency.

The Chief Minister’s remarks followed an impressive presentation by students of ZPHS, A. Koduru, who spoke fluently in English about the Swarna Andhra–Swachch Andhra programme, zero-waste management and emerging technologies.

Praising the students, Mr. Naidu said their knowledge on emerging technologies was encouraging. Referring to a student’s remarks on quantum computing, he said, “Even I was not aware of some of the facts about quantum computing that the student spoke about.”

He said such young minds should be given adequate opportunities to pursue careers in emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, which, he said, would shape the future and it could be possible through Data Centres.

Anakapalli will be No. 1 district

Mr. Naidu also expressed confidence that Anakapalli would emerge as the State’s No. 1 district over the next 25 years, citing the rapid industrialisation and investments taking place across the district. He said that Anakapalli was now attracting investments across sectors, including steel, pharmaceuticals and data centres.

The Chief Minister said that State Government was committed to bringing Polavaram water to Anakapalli soon and assured that steps would be taken to ensure adequate water for every irrigation project in the district.

One Saturday every month for cleanliness

Mr. Naidu reiterated his appeal to people to dedicate one Saturday every month to cleanliness and sanitation activities. He said every village should aim to become a zero-waste panchayat, with waste being segregated at source and recycled or scientifically processed. Waste could be converted into compost, electricity, gas and recyclable materials, he said, adding that effective waste management was essential for creating a healthy and prosperous society. He said that about 143 MT of legacy waste had been cleared over the past two years and stressed the need for 100% door-to-door garbage collection and source segregation.

Skill University proposed

Responding to the requests of Madugula MLA Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy, Mr. Naidu assured that the State Government would propose a Skill University to train local youth in industry-relevant skills and improve their employment prospects in the industries coming up in Anakapalli. He also assured that repair works at the Raiwada Reservoir would be taken up.

Anakapalli MP C.M. Ramesh, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister P. Narayana, Madugula MLA Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy, Collector Vijaya Krishnan, Swachch Andhra Corporation chairman K. Pattabhiram and others were present.

Published - August 22, 2026 04:28 pm IST