Andhra cabinet okays contract for construction of Lok Bhavan in Amaravati

THe Andhra Pradesh tell locker chaired by chief government minister N Chandrababu Naidu on th sanctioned the contract for the construction of Lok Bhavan in the Amaravati Government Complex in the capital city, state information and public relations minister K Parthasarathy said.Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting, the proposed Lok Bhavan complex includes the governor’s Residence, durbar hall, governor’s office, two guest houses, and staff quarters. The total cost of the Lok Bhavan complex is around ₹212 crore.“The cabinet gave the approval to the AP Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) to finalise the lowest bidder for taking up the construction of the Lok Bhavan,” the minister said.The cabinet also ratified a proposal permitting the Amaravati Development Corporation Ltd (ADCL) to accept the lowest bidder for the phase-III expansion of the Amaravati seed access road, linking it to National Highway-16 (NH-16). The project includes bridges, underpasses, utilities, and a 6-lane elevated corridor linking to the national highway.“The project will be executed on a lump-sum contract valued at ₹532.57 crore, which is 4.05% above the estimated contract value, with a two-year defect liability period,” Parthasarathy said.The cabinet also gave the nod to the proposal of the municipal administration department for administrative sanction for 506 projects approved under the state water action plan at a cost of ₹9,514.63 crore. “The remaining 281 projects will be taken up under a lump-sum system, divided into appropriate packages to enable efficient procurement and execution,” the minister said.The cabinet approved the proposal for restructuring of the Andhra Pradesh State Social Welfare Board under the administrative control of the Social Welfare Department. The restructured board is expected to enhance awareness of SC welfare schemes, strengthen implementation of the Protection of Civil Rights Act (1955), and improve living conditions of sanitation workers.The cabinet cleared 14 major investment proposals worth ₹15,000 crore of the state industries and commerce department. The new investments, spanning various sectors, including solar energy, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food processing, biofuels, glass manufacturing, women-led MSME parks and multi-product industrial parks, are expected to generate more than one lakh direct and indirect jobs.The cabinet also approved 11 high-technology sector projects involving a total investment of ₹1,421.2 crore, creating 3,057 direct jobs. These include: seven quantum computing projects in Amaravati’s proposed Quantum Valley, an electronics manufacturing project at Naidupeta and three IT campus projects in Visakhapatnam.“The government will extend conditional incentives to expedite implementation. Amaravati Quantum Valley is being positioned as India’s first dedicated quantum computing hub,” Parthasarathy said.The cabinet okayed allotment of 29.58 acres at Juvvaladinne Fishing Harbour in Bogolu mandal, SPSR Nellore district, to Sagar Defence Engineering Pvt Ltd. For establishing an Autonomous Maritime Shipyard and Systems Centre.This project includes: 7.58 acres of waterfront land and 22.00 acres of harbour land. The additional approvals given by the government include transfer of harbour land from the Fisheries Department to the AP Maritime Board, lease charges at 6% of the Fair Market Value, with 5% annual escalation and a 50% premium on lease value for waterfront land, as per AP Maritime Board guidelines.