Andhra Pradesh - A profile

Andhra Pradesh - A profile

andhra pradesh profile

This article provides an overview of Andhra Pradesh for those keen on exploring the possibility of living and working there. The information presented is gathered from open sources and is not exhaustive or meant to supplement or substitute legal and professional advice.

Key facts

  • Capital: Amaravati1
  • Geography: 13 districts2
  • Land area: 160,205 sq km3
  • Population (2011): 49.58 million4
  • Head of government: Sri Nara Chandra Babu Naidu (Chief Minister)5
  • Language: Telegu6
  • Currency: Indian Rupee (Rs)
  • Major cities: Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati, Rajahmundry, Guntur, Kakinada, Ongole, Nellore and Kurnool7

Introduction

Andhra Pradesh is located in the south eastern coast of India and is the eighth largest state in the country. The state is bordered by Chhattisgarh to the north, Odisha to the northeast, Telangana and Karnataka to the west, Tamil Nadu to the south, and the Bay of Bengal to the east. Its 974 km coastline is the second longest in the country.8

Andhra Pradesh aims to be among the top three performing Indian states by 2022 and a developed state by 2029. It also envisions itself as a leading global investment destination by 2050.9 Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Tirupati and Amravati are the state’s four cities that have been selected as smart cities as of January 2018.10

Demographic profile

In terms of population, Andhra Pradesh is the 10th largest state in India. In 2011, the state had a population of 49.58 million, up 9.21 percent from the 45.4 million recorded in 2001. The East Godavari district had the highest population of 5.29 million, while Vizianagaram had the lowest of 2.34 million. Males outnumbered females: there are 997 females for every 1,000 males recorded in 2011.11

Andhra Pradesh’s literacy rate in 2011 increased from 62.07 percent in 2001 to 67.35 percent in 2011. However, this is still lower than India’s literacy rate of 72.98 percent.12

Economy profile

Andhra Pradesh’s economy grew 15.86 percent in 2016–2017. It achieved Rs 695,491 crores in 2017 compared to the Rs 600,298 crores recorded in the previous year. Its per capita income grew 15.28 percent from Rs 107,276 in 2015–2016 to Rs 123,664 in 2016–2017.13

Industries

The agriculture sector plays a crucial role in the economy of Andhra Pradesh. Agriculture and allied sectors have been the key source of income and occupation in Andhra Pradesh with about 60 percent of its population engaged in agriculture and related activities. The fisheries sector, in particular, is contributing significantly to the state’s economy. From 2016 to 2017, it contributed 6.4 percent to the state’s GSDP and provided employment to about 1.45 million people. The state places an important priority in providing assistance to the farming community and making the agriculture sector more resilient.14

In 2016–2017, the agriculture sector contributed Rs 207,881 crore (32.75 percent) to the total gross valued added (GVA) of Andhra Pradesh. The industry sector contributed Rs 145,150 (22.87 percent) crore and the services sector Rs 281,711 crore (44.38 percent). The agriculture sector grew at the fastest rate among other industries in 2016–2017 at 20.49 percent, followed by the services sector at 14.46 percent and industry sector at 8.87 percent.15

Tourism

Andhra Pradesh is a popular destination among domestic tourists. It is the third most visited state by the local population in India. In 2017, the state received 165.43 million visits from domestic tourists and 271,362 visits from foreign tourists.16 Andhra Pradesh offers many options for tourists to explore, including nature and wild life experiences, heritage spots, beaches, and religious and spiritual destinations.17 Its government is committed to develop heritage spots in Kurnool, Prakasam, Rajamundry, Tirupathi, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and other important places, while religious and spiritual destinations such as Tirupathi, Srisailam, Srikalahasthi, Kadapa Darga, Mahanandi, Simhachalam, Annavaram and Vijayawada are being integrated in religious tourism circuits. It is also promoting beach tourism and developing “world class coastal and eco-tourism circuits.”18

Special Economic Zones

Special Economic Zones (SEZs) were developed across various districts in Andhra Pradesh to enhance job opportunities and industrial development. In 2017, there were 19 operational SEZs in Andhra Pradesh comprising five multi product SEZs, four pharmaceuticals SEZs, three information technology/information technology enabled services (IT/ITES) SEZs, two SEZs each for textile and leather products SEZs and one SEZ each for building products, port based and food processing. As of 30 June 2017, these SEZs created employment opportunities for 73,828 people.19

Singapore and Andhra Pradesh

Singapore plays a vital role in building Andhra Pradesh’s new capital city, Amaravati, after the state lost its former capital Hyderabad to the newly formed state of Telangana in 2014. In December 2014, International Enterprise (IE) Singapore signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Infrastructure Corporation of Andhra Pradesh to jointly work on the master plan for Amaravati. Master planner, Surbana Jurong, submitted the city’s masterplan in 2015. In May 2017, two Singapore firms, Ascendas-Singbridge and Sembcorp Development, took on the development of the capital city project. They entered a joint venture with the Andhra Pradesh government to “master develop the commercial core of Amaravati”. The development is expected to be undertaken in phases over 15 to 20 years.20

In February 2018, another MOU was signed between Singapore Business Federation (SBF) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to form the Andhra Pradesh-Singapore Business Council, which aims “to drive private sector business collaboration to strengthen Singapore-Andhra Pradesh economic ties … across priority sectors including smart infrastructure, agrifood and logistics.” Additionally, Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) is also partnering with Amaravati Partnership Office and the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority to set up an Innovation Corridor. The Innovation Corridor is “a platform to discover, pilot and scale innovative urban solutions” for use in Amaravati.21

References

  1. Andhra Pradesh. (n.d.). AP Online. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://www.aponline.gov.in ↩

  2. Andhra Pradesh. (n.d.). AP Online. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://www.aponline.gov.in ↩

  3. Andhra Pradesh. (n.d.). AP Online. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://www.aponline.gov.in ↩

  4. Socio economic survey 2017-18. (2017). Planning Department Government of Andhra Pradesh, p. 307. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://www.ap.gov.in ↩

  5. Andhra Pradesh. (n.d.). AP Online. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://www.aponline.gov.in ↩

  6. Language. (2015). AP State Portal. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://www.ap.gov.in ↩

  7. Andhra Pradesh: The rice granary of India. (2018, February). India Brand Equity Foundation. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from https://www.ibef.org ↩

  8. Industrial profile of Andhra Pradesh. (n.d.). Department of Industries, p. 8. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://apindustries.gov.in; About Andhra Pradesh – Industries, economy, infrastructure, exports, GSDP. (2018, February). India Brand Equity Foundation. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from https://www.ibef.org; Socio economic survey 2017-18. (2017). Planning Department Government of Andhra Pradesh, p. 5. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://www.ap.gov.in ↩

  9. Sunrise Andhra Pradesh vision 2029: A happy, inclusive and globally competitive society. (2016, June). Government of Andhra Pradesh, pp. 0-1. 0-17. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://apvision.ap.gov.in ↩

  10. Andhra Pradesh: The rice granary of India. (2018, February). India Brand Equity Foundation, p. 37. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from https://www.ibef.org ↩

  11. Socio economic survey 2017-18. (2017). Planning Department Government of Andhra Pradesh, pp. 5, 154, 307. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://www.ap.gov.in ↩

  12. Socio economic survey 2017-18. (2017). Planning Department Government of Andhra Pradesh, pp. 5, 154, 307. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://www.ap.gov.in ↩

  13. Socio economic survey 2017-18. (2017). Planning Department Government of Andhra Pradesh, pp. 5, 154, 307. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://www.ap.gov.in ↩

  14. Socio economic survey 2017-18. (2017). Planning Department Government of Andhra Pradesh, pp. 5, 154, 307. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://www.ap.gov.in ↩

  15. Socio economic survey 2017-18. (2017). Planning Department Government of Andhra Pradesh, pp. 5, 154, 307. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://www.ap.gov.in ↩

  16. Tourism summary report. (2017). CORE Dashboard. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from https://core.ap.gov.in ↩

  17. Andhra Pradesh Tourism official website. (n.d.). Andhra Pradesh Tourism. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://aptdc.gov.in/ ↩

  18. Socio economic survey 2017-18. (2017). Planning Department Government of Andhra Pradesh, pp. 5, 154, 307. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://www.ap.gov.in ↩

  19. Socio economic survey 2017-18. (2017). Planning Department Government of Andhra Pradesh, pp. 5, 154, 307. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://www.ap.gov.in ↩

  20. Ganapathy, N. (2017, May 15). Singapore consortium appointed master developer for Andhra Pradesh’s new capital city. The Straits Times. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from https://ie.enterprisesg.gov.sg; Loh, D. (2017, May 15). Singapore firms appointed master developer for Andhra Pradesh’s new capital city. Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from https://www.channelnewsasia.com ↩

  21. More ways for Singapore companies to capture opportunities in Andhra Pradesh. (2018, February 26). Singapore Business Federation. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://www.sbf.org.sg ↩

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