Mekapati Goutham Reddy, Minister of Industries, Commerce, IT & Skill Development, Andhra Pradesh, who passed away on February 21  will be remembered for his efforts to make the southern part of India a buzzing automotive and EV manufacturing hub.

In an interaction in late 2020 with Autocar Professional, Reddy had said that the state government’s EV policy would bring in investment of more than Rs 30,000 crore by 2030.

Reddy wanted to capitalise on the state’s geographical advantages – India’s second longest coastline of 974km, quality infrastructure coupled with a business-friendly industrial environment, a growing middle class and abundant natural resources -- for bringing in global investors.

Andhra Pradesh has seen a steady flow of investments from South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and France. Reddy had earlier said that between 2015 and 2020, the state saw investments worth Rs 19,765 crore which generated over 30,000 jobs. The state’s key auto hubs are Nellore, Chittoor and Anantapur. Automotive OEMs like Kia Motors, Isuzu, Hero MotoCorp, Amara Raja, Apollo Tyres and Bharat Forge have established units in these three districts.