Statement

Hon. Chairperson Sir, I must compliment the hon. Member for asking a very significant question. Also, I must compliment him that the State of Andhra Pradesh is incidentally in the forefront of the STI Hubs that we have sought to set up. It also gives me an opportunity to say that last week, the first ever foundation stone of Amaravati Quantum Valley (AQV) was laid at Amaravati. Just a week before that, the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) Regional Centre was inaugurated in Visakhapatnam. Therefore, science and technology as such has received a huge push under hon. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, but we were constrained to slow down till the “double engine Government” took over with the present Chief Minister. While I am referring to the Visakhapatnam project, it will be interesting to share that the project was conceived 20 years back. The foundation stone was laid at Visakhapatnam in 2005. The construction was started in 2015, but with the State Government not being as cooperative as we expected, there were some issues with clearances, etc. After that, in the last two years, ever since the new Government took over, and as I said, the double engine Government came into place, we have been 11.02.2026 72 able to complete the construction in five to six months and move on. So, from that point of view also, I think Andhra Pradesh is on the right track. As far as the STI Hubs are concerned, which the hon. Member has sought to discuss, I am also glad to share with him that the State of Andhra Pradesh has the maximum number of STI Hubs. You have as many as eight Hubs, and they are catering to different institutes – both public sector and private sector. The number of institutes is about 14, spread across the entire State. STI Hub was actually also a part of the vision of hon. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, who has always been insisting on prioritizing the growth, development, and well-being of the weaker sections, including the Scheduled Tribes and the Scheduled Castes. So, this is a programme and initiative which is focused on Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes. It was initiated in the year 2019. Currently, we have four such programmes. We are also in the process of increasing these Hubs, and wherever you find there is something more that can be done, we are open to that. In fact, the next call for more proposals for such Hubs is going to be issued in the month of March-April this year.

Spoke Jitendra Singh

Spoke on 2026-02-11T00:00:00.000Z

In debate Papers laid on the Table of the house by Ministers/Members