Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to strengthen the Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC) and accelerate industrial development based on mineral resources across the state. During a high-level review meeting at the Secretariat on Tuesday, the Chief Minister emphasized the need to adopt advanced monitoring systems, including drones and satellite mapping, to curb illegal mining beyond allocated lease zones. He asked the department to study successful mining governance models in leading mineral-producing states like Odisha and explore value-added processing instead of exporting raw minerals, ensuring higher economic benefits. The Chief Minister also instructed the department to establish a dedicated Metal Industry Cluster in North Andhra, particularly benefitting industries emerging in Visakhapatnam.

Chandrababu Naidu further highlighted the industrial potential of minerals available in Andhra Pradesh—including limestone, beach sand, iron ore, quartz, silica sand, manganese, clay, and granite—and directed officials to map industries suitable for each mineral. He stressed promoting sectors like solar panel manufacturing, ferro alloys, titanium products, polished granite, and steel production to increase revenue and employment. Referring to Amaravati capital construction, the Chief Minister instructed authorities to ensure uninterrupted supply of sand, gravel, and metal, especially from Krishna, Guntur, and NTR districts, and warned against any bottlenecks or disruptions. He also suggested exploring production-linked incentives in coordination with the central government. Ministers and senior officials, including Mines Minister Kollu Ravindra, participated in the review meeting.