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Time of India
04-08-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Andhra Pradesh CM Naidu turns heat on defaulters in green energy space
Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu-led Andhra Pradesh government has launched a crackdown on renewable energy developers sitting on land parcels without initiating work and has ordered scrutiny of projects worth ₹4 lakh crore. In the first action, the government has cancelled a 328 MW wind power project allocated to Sreeja Infrastructure, a subsidiary of the Italian renewable energy major Enel Green, which was recently acquired by Gujarat-based Waaree Energies . The project was sanctioned in 2018 when Naidu was in power. However, the Capacity Sanction Agreement, required for formal commencement of work, was signed in 2022 under the previous Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP government. The company had to complete the project in 24 months by December 2024. The government has now cancelled the project and ordered forfeiture of performance bank guarantee worth ₹6.5 crore. Over the last two weeks, two hydro projects have also been cancelled for delayed implementation. The Naidu-led administration has now sought updated implementation status and timelines from all renewable projects allotted in the state, covering over 60 GW of capacity. This forms part of a broader audit aimed at unlocking stalled green energy potential in Andhra Pradesh. Sources said projects with an investment worth ₹4 lakh crore are under scrutiny. These include big players like Axis Energy, Suzlon Energy , Indosol and Ecoren. According to sources, close to 36 project sites have been allotted to three investors with no progress on ground. Indosol has been allotted 1.52 lakh acres of land to develop 3000 MW project, Ecoren has been allotted 4.35 lakh acres to develop 3500 MW capacity at six locations and Axis has 15.13 lakh acres of land to develop 12,000 MW capacity at different locations. Sources indicated that the government is serious about taking action against those sitting on solar and wind resources and action against Sreeja Infrastructure is to signal that failure to commence work immediately would result in cancellation and penalties. "This is not just about enforcing deadlines. This is about reclaiming credibility, land, and clean energy targets," said an official adding, "Valuable wind zones are being locked up by companies that are not acting. In a resource-constrained geography like ours, we can't afford such strategic delays." Unlike government land leases, Sreeja's project is slated to be built on private land, but the government had already earmarked exclusive wind coordinates for the project, effectively blocking any other renewable developer from using the site. With limited high-velocity wind zones in Andhra Pradesh, these land-coordinate allocations are prized assets. For Naidu, who returned to power with a strong development agenda, the message is clear - land is not to be hoarded, and renewable energy, once allotted, must translate into megawatts on the grid. The government has set a target of 160 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030.
Time of India
03-08-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Andhra Pradesh CM Naidu turns heat on defaulters in green energy space
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads New Delhi: Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu-led Andhra Pradesh government has launched a crackdown on renewable energy developers sitting on land parcels without initiating work and has ordered scrutiny of projects worth ₹4 lakh the first action, the government has cancelled a 328 MW wind power project allocated to Sreeja Infrastructure, a subsidiary of the Italian renewable energy major Enel Green, which was recently acquired by Gujarat-based Waaree Energies . The project was sanctioned in 2018 when Naidu was in power. However, the Capacity Sanction Agreement, required for formal commencement of work, was signed in 2022 under the previous Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP company had to complete the project in 24 months by December 2024. The government has now cancelled the project and ordered forfeiture of performance bank guarantee worth ₹6.5 crore. Over the last two weeks, two hydro projects have also been cancelled for delayed Naidu-led administration has now sought updated implementation status and timelines from all renewable projects allotted in the state, covering over 60 GW of capacity. This forms part of a broader audit aimed at unlocking stalled green energy potential in Andhra Pradesh. Sources said projects with an investment worth ₹4 lakh crore are under scrutiny. These include big players like Axis Energy, Suzlon Energy , Indosol and Ecoren. According to sources, close to 36 project sites have been allotted to three investors with no progress on ground. Indosol has been allotted 1.52 lakh acres of land to develop 3000 MW project, Ecoren has been allotted 4.35 lakh acres to develop 3500 MW capacity at six locations and Axis has 15.13 lakh acres of land to develop 12,000 MW capacity at different locations. Sources indicated that the government is serious about taking action against those sitting on solar and wind resources and action against Sreeja Infrastructure is to signal that failure to commence work immediately would result in cancellation and penalties. "This is not just about enforcing deadlines. This is about reclaiming credibility, land, and clean energy targets," said an official adding, "Valuable wind zones are being locked up by companies that are not acting. In a resource-constrained geography like ours, we can't afford such strategic delays."Unlike government land leases, Sreeja's project is slated to be built on private land, but the government had already earmarked exclusive wind coordinates for the project, effectively blocking any other renewable developer from using the site. With limited high-velocity wind zones in Andhra Pradesh, these land-coordinate allocations are prized Naidu, who returned to power with a strong development agenda, the message is clear - land is not to be hoarded, and renewable energy, once allotted, must translate into megawatts on the grid. The government has set a target of 160 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030.
The Hindu
29-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
YSRCP to launch App for reporting ‘harassment and injustice by officials'
The YSRCP is preparing to launch a mobile application next week that is designed to document and report 'instances of harassment and injustice by the officials.' Disclosing this at the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting on Tuesday, YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said the app would be useful to lodge complaints against the officials who 'harass or mistreat' people or party workers. 'People can submit detailed accounts of the incidents, along with any supporting evidence, such as photos or documents. They will be securely stored in a digital library server,' he said, adding, 'The moment our government comes to power, we will open this digital library and ensure that those responsible are held accountable under the law. Those responsible will be brought to justice with interest. No one will be spared.' Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged that the NDA dispensation was engaged in 'deception and vengeance.' The Naidu-led government misused State machinery to target YSRCP leaders through false cases and arrests. The arrests of MP Midhun Reddy, Nandigam Suresh, Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy and Kakani Govardhan Reddy were politically motivated, he alleged. Allegations against police 'A few police officials, including DIGs, DSPs, and CIs, are involved in organised crime, extortion, and illegal liquor auctions, with kickbacks allegedly flowing to the MLAs and even the Chief Minister's family,' Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged. He called upon the leaders to shed complacency and take the lead in revitalising the party's organisational framework. 'Our honeymoon period is over. If we don't act now, we risk losing touch with the people,' he said, adding the party must prepare for elections at any time, and build a strong structure that would ensure YSRCP's continuity for the next 30 to 40 years. He directed that party committees be immediately set up at the village and booth levels. He highlighted the success of the party's campaign titled 'Recalling Chandrababu's Manifesto – Babu Surety, Fraud Guarantee'.
News18
27-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
YSRCP accuses Andhra govt of large-scale land irregularities in Vizag
Visakhapatnam, Jul 27 (PTI) YSRCP leader and former minister Gudivada Amarnath on Sunday accused the TDP-led coalition government of 'large-scale land irregularities" and said it was behaving like a 'real estate agency" while allotting public lands to associates, firms and realtors at 'unjustifiably" low prices here. He alleged that the state government diverted prime land to newly incorporated firms with no credentials, undermining previous IT development plans initiated under the YSRCP regime. 'The TDP-led coalition government has committed massive irregularities in land allocations in Visakhapatnam since the government was formed," Amarnath said while addressing a press conference. He alleged that private companies received valuable land at rates as low as Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore per acre, calling it a 'quid pro quo'. He noted the land deals had created no IT jobs for Andhra's youth. The former minister further alleged that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and IT Minister Nara Lokesh were directly overseeing these land deals, and that public land was being 'looted" to benefit their associates. The YSRCP leader linked Naidu's frequent visits to Singapore to alleged corruption and old ties with tainted individuals there. Amarnath said that the YSRCP would launch a mass movement against the land scam and hold the Naidu-led coalition government accountable for allegedly diverting public wealth for private gains. Meanwhile, there was no immediate reaction from the ruling TDP. PTI MS GDK KH view comments First Published: July 27, 2025, 23:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Print
21-07-2025
- Business
- The Print
Chandrababu Naidu is dreaming new dreams at 75. What other CMs are missing
That was in 2000. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) provided crucial support to the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government then. Garg was the director of the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) in the finance ministry. He writes that the hoarding of resources 'was clearly unfair and lopsided.' The World Bank assistance, specifically cheaper credits from the International Development Agency (IDA), was meant for low-income and poorer states. 'Using the efficiency of his administration and his political clout, Chandrababu Naidu was able to manoeuvre the system in Delhi, including the DEA, to divert a disproportionate part of the Government of India budget and external assistance to Andhra Pradesh,' writes Garg. Chandrababu Naidu bays for my blood'—This is a subhead in Subhash Chandra Garg's new book No, Minister . In the section, the former finance secretary of India writes how the Naidu-led Andhra Pradesh had 'cornered more than 40 per cent of the total portfolio of projects' approved by the World Bank in 1999–2000. He has cited another example. In 2001, the Andhra Pradesh Structural Adjustment Loan (SAL) for $250 million was being negotiated with the World Bank. The package also included a $100 million grant from the Department for International Development (DFID) to India. The DFID grant and the World Bank loan were to go to Andhra Pradesh on the standard 70:30 loan–grant ratio. The Naidu-led government, however, reached an understanding with the DFID—without the DEA's concurrence—to make it a 100 per cent grant. Garg wouldn't agree to it; he got them to agree to the DEA's terms. Two days after the negotiations were completed, the DEA Secretary asked Garg to again submit the Andhra file to him. The file came back with orders, approved by the finance minister, that an exception be made in the case and that the DFID grant be given to Andhra Pradesh as a 100 per cent grant. 'Evidently, on his return to India, Chandrababu Naidu had moved heaven and earth and forced the government at the highest level to agree to his completely unjustified demand,' writes Garg. 'The utter disregard for fair distribution of central government resources to all the states and the manic zeal and insistence to grab all resources for Andhra Pradesh were disturbing,' he writes. V Srinivas, private secretary to then finance minister Jaswant Singh, later told Garg that VS Sampath, the Andhra finance secretary who went on to become the chief election commissioner of India, sought his help to 'find ways to fix Subhash'. Nobody would be surprised to read ex-IAS officer Garg's account of how Chandrababu Naidu used his clout in the Vajpayee government to wrangle anything and everything from the Centre for his state. Garg's counterparts in other departments would have similar stories to tell. Let me cite just one more example here. Of the 4 million tonnes of rice the Centre sanctioned for the Food for Work programme between September 2001 and April 2002, Andhra alone got 2.15 million tonnes, 53 per cent of the total. And then it got one million tonnes more. Cut to 2025. Naidu hasn't changed. Only that it's now the Narendra Modi-led government that is going out of its way to please the Andhra CM. The Centre has already committed Rs 15,000 crore for Phase I of the Amaravati capital project. The state has secured Rs 12,157 crore from the Centre to support the first phase of the Polavaram irrigation project. In May, PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation for central projects worth Rs 5,000 crore, including a missile testing centre, Unity mall, Rail overbridge and six national highway projects in Andhra. And these are early days yet. Modi 3.0 still has four years left, and Naidu will continue to be vital for its survival. Also read: Chandrababu Naidu is important in both Centre and state. He is his own double-engine now Political opportunism or Andhra First? The former finance secretary of India has only revived an old debate. Chandrababu Naidu's political rivals and critics have a long list of his political 'betrayals'— marrying NT Rama Rao's daughter and then leaving the Congress to join the TDP; ousting NTR to become the CM; leaving the United Front to support the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 1998; Lok Sabha Speaker GMC Balayogi from the TDP allowing then Odisha CM Giridhar Gomang (who was yet to resign as MP) to vote against the confidence motion, which ended up bringing the Vajpayee government down in 1999; joining the NDA in 1999 Lok Sabha election to reap the electoral dividends of the Kargil War; demanding Narendra Modi resign as Gujarat CM post-2002 riots to joining hands with him ahead of the 2014 election; leaving the NDA for the Congress five years later only to re-embrace Modi before 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. It's certainly a long list. Naidu's critics would call them examples of political opportunism. His admirers would cite them as examples of his brilliant political acumen and his ability to play bigger national parties to his advantage. And, ex-IAS officer Subhash Garg as a neutral observer is only the latest to certify that Andhra Pradesh has made the biggest gains from Naidu's political somersaults. I call it his Andhra First politics. Take a look at this report by India Today in May 2002: 'Over the past five years, Naidu has managed to get the Central ministries to pour over Rs 40,000 crore into Andhra Pradesh. While the Central loans have doubled in five years from Rs 1,575.6 to Rs 3,189.9 crore, grants have jumped from Rs 1,528 crore to Rs 3,424.1 crore and external assistance has trebled from Rs 1,118 to Rs 3,640 crore. That the state has cornered a lion's share of resources is proved by just one statistic: while Central grants to all states increased by only 2.6 per cent between 2000-1 and 2001-2, Andhra Pradesh's share rose by 34 per cent.' The report quoted Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury as saying that Naidu's success in extracting resources was due to 'a weak Centre vulnerable to political blackmail'. When you talk to Congress MPs today, as the Modi-led government showers Naidu's Andhra with generosity, they echo similar sentiments. But ask the people in Andhra Pradesh. They would repeat the Onida TV slogan: 'Neighbour's envy, owner's pride.' Also read: Nobody should doubt Chandrababu Naidu's determination. If anything, they should fear it What other CMs need to learn from CBN Chandrababu Naidu, 75, is the third-oldest CM in India today—after Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan, 80 and Karnataka's Siddaramaiah, 76. CBN, as he's known in the state, could afford to rest on his laurels. Creating something like Cyberabad and Genome Valley in Hyderabad would have been a lifetime achievement for any CM. Instead, he is setting new challenges for himself. 'Same things (liked Cyberabad) can't be created but improved versions (can be brought),' Naidu told me in an interview last month. It's not just the creation of the new capital city of Amaravati. CBN has now set out to build India's first quantum computing valley. He has launched a space policy to leverage Sriharikota's strategic location in Andhra Pradesh. It aims to attract investment worth Rs 25,000 crore in space-linked industries. He is very optimistic about his Zero Poverty-P4 (Public-Private-People Partnership) programme. I could tell this by the child-like excitement in his voice when he was telling me about P4. At a time when most Opposition leaders seem to be convinced that poverty can be eliminated only when the rich are made poor, Naidu's P4 is an interesting idea. You don't have to be an Adani or Ambani to participate in it. If you have surplus money to spare, help a family, mentor them. You can do it at the community level, too. What differentiates CBN from other CMs is ideas—original, imaginative and innovative. Look at his counterparts in other states. Most of them are doing the same things, often aping each other. At 75, Naidu stands apart. 'Imagination has no age,' wrote senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh functionary Ram Madhav, quoting Walt Disney, in a column in The Indian Express. He was building a case for PM Modi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to ignore the unwritten 75-year age ceiling for holding office. Age doesn't matter unless you are a cheese, wrote Madhav. It's true. As I mentioned, Naidu's much younger counterparts in other states already look jaded and spent in terms of originality or ideas or imagination in policymaking. Is Modi 3.0 any different? That's food for thought for another column. DK Singh is Political Editor at ThePrint. He tweets @dksingh73. Views are personal. (Edited by Theres Sudeep)
