“Andhra Pradesh is charting a visionary path to reduce India’s logistics costs and power manufacturing with world-class infrastructure” - Mr B C Janardhan Reddy, Hon’ble Minister for Roads & Buildings, Infrastructure & Investment, Government of Andhra Pradesh

Delivering the keynote address at the session “Unlocking India’s Eastward Gateway: Reducing Logistics Costs and Powering Manufacturing through Coastal Advantage”, Mr B C Janardhan Reddy, Hon’ble Minister for Roads & Buildings, Infrastructure & Investment, Government of Andhra Pradesh, highlighted the Andhra Pradesh’s coastal strengths and its ambitious agenda to become India’s most efficient gateway for international trade. The session was held on 14th November during the 30th edition of the CII Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh

“Andhra Pradesh, long recognized as a maritime State and symbol of industrial strength, is charting a visionary path to reduce India’s logistics costs and power manufacturing with world-class infrastructure,” he said, opening the session with a powerful message on the state’s strategic direction.The Minister emphasized that with a 1,053 km coastline and proximity to major trade routes, Andhra Pradesh is naturally positioned as a key maritime anchor on India’s east coast, offering unmatched potential for trade, investment, and employment. He underlined that the government’s focus extends beyond building ports or roads, its aim is to create a fully integrated logistics ecosystem that enhances efficiency, supports industry, and drives competitiveness.

Mr M T Krishna Babu, Special Chief Secretary, Infrastructure & Investment, Government of Andhra Pradesh, gave a detailed presentation through which hehighlighted Andhra Pradesh’s unique strengths, from its large land bank to its expanding air network and noted that the state will soon have a major international air link operational. He emphasized that “This is the decade for the East Coast to not only catch up with the West Coast but to surpass it by leveraging its unique advantages. The region holds several key strengths: proximity to major Asian trade partners, abundant mineral resources concentrated in the eastern states, and deep-draft ports capable of handling large vessels.”

Moderating the panel discussion, Mr Shravan Shetty, Managing Director, Primus Partners, India stressed that Andhra Pradesh possesses all essential ingredients to develop globally competitive industrial and logistics ecosystems, natural resources, land, electricity, talent, strong governance, and high-quality port access. He highlighted the need for a multimodal logistics strategy and improved last-mile connectivity supported by digital infrastructure.

Mr Amlan Bora, Chief Representative for Port of Rotterdam in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, stressed that ports are not end points but critical nodes within larger supply chains. He explained that global logistics leaders succeed by integrating multimodal systems, aligning infrastructure with economic clusters, and embracing deep digitalisation. He highlighted the central role of digitalisation, noting that “physical assets can only be effective in today’s world through digital corridors, transparency, and data-driven coordination.”

Mr Vivek Sharma, Head – Public Policy & Regulatory Affairs, APM Terminals, noted that Andhra Pradesh is emerging as a major contender in South India’s maritime landscape. He highlighted that deep-water port opportunities and forward-thinking policies offer the potential to reposition India on global ocean routes. He pointed out that that the full value of ports can be realized only with strengthened inland systems, including cargo aggregation, multimodal connectivity, and last-mile infrastructure.

Mr. Rinkesh Roy, Jt MD & CEO of JSW Infrastructure Ltdstressed that connectivity remains the decisive factor in port viability, urging attention to critical rail links and industrial corridors. He also emphasised the impending shift to green logistics, recommending EV-ready corridors and disaster-resilient infrastructure across the coastline.

Mr. Sanjiv Edward, CEO, GMR Group, noted that Andhra Pradesh is uniquely positioned to build a combined port–airport logistics cluster and highlighted opportunities such as increasing vessel frequency, enabling air–sea cargo integration, and developing specialised supporting infrastructure.

Mr. Rakesh Gaonkar, Co-Founder & CTO, Sarla Aviation,highlighted breakthroughs in last-mile connectivity. “Today, predictability is one of the biggest challenges with road transport. With aerial last-mile solutions, we can bring speed, precision, reliability and complete predictability into the system,” he explained. He emphasised that these technologies, suitable for high-value, time-sensitive cargo, are close to commercial readiness and can significantly strengthen India’s coastal logistics capabilities.

14 November 2025

Visakhapatnam