Andhra Pradesh Minister of IT and HRD Nara Lokesh on Friday asked the Ministers to take up the responsibility of preventing the sale and manufacture of spurious liquor in the State.
Speaking at a breakfast meeting with the Ministers at his Undavalli residence ahead of the Cabinet meeting, Mr. Lokesh said the issue must be dealt with firmly.
“Inform me if you are unable to take proper action,” Mr. Lokesh told the Ministers, while expressing concern over the damage being caused to the party’s image politically.
Mr. Lokesh’s advice came in the wake of the Prohibition and Excise Department recently busting a spurious liquor manufacturing network and seizing stocks and material, at Mulakalacheruvu in Annamayya district.
AI-powered data centre
During the Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu informed the Ministers that the State was able to attract major companies, including Google’s subsidiary, Raiden Infotech India Limited, which plans to establish an AI-powered data centre in Visakhapatnam.
He credited the achievement to the support extended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Central Government, and conveyed his gratitude to the Prime Minister while approving the proposal.
When a Minister questioned officials about the variations in incentives offered to different companies, the officials explained and justified the reasons.
Responding to a discussion on the incentives to the LuLu Group, Mr. Naidu said the group had initially withdrawn, but was now returning to invest in Andhra Pradesh.
In fact, the LuLu Group had expressed its interest to invest in Visakhapatnam before 2019, but after the formation of the YSRCP Government, the company withdrew three proposals.
“The NDA government has invited the company to the State,” Mr. Naidu said, and emphasised the need to encourage and build confidence among such global investors.
Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan, too, stressed the need to encourage the investors.
Published – October 10, 2025 08:08 pm IST
