Coordination meeting in Kurnool reviews arrangements for PM’s rally; plans to develop Visakhapatnam as an IT hub and Kurnool as a drone hub*

.                       by Sharma K.V. Editor
Kurnool, October 14. —* A high-level coordination committee convened here on Tuesday to review preparations for the mega public meeting to be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 16. The session, held at Rag Mayuri Green Hills near the assembly grounds, was attended by TDP state president Palla Srinivasa Rao, State Fisheries Minister Kinjarapu Acham Naidu, State Health Minister Satyakumar Yadav and members of the rally organising committee.

Mr. Palla told the meeting that the State was witnessing the dawn of a new ‘golden era’. He lauded former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s vision in transforming Hyderabad into a high-tech city, and said the same foresight was now being directed towards elevating Visakhapatnam into a world-class IT hub. By attracting global technology majors — from the day Microsoft came to Hyderabad to the present ambition of bringing Google to Visakhapatnam — Mr. Palla said Andhra Pradesh was positioning itself as a technological capital.

The committee also discussed an ambitious plan to reengineer Kurnool as a drone technology hub. The State government, Mr. Palla said, was drawing up strategies to take the district into a new phase of technological development, encompassing drone manufacturing, training and services. He emphasised the wide commercial and strategic applications of drone technology — in defence, agriculture, surveying and industry — and noted the potential to generate local employment and to recast Kurnool as a centre for tech innovation.

On the broader development agenda, Mr. Palla highlighted Andhra Pradesh’s role in realising the ‘Viksit Bharat’ (Developed India) vision. He argued that digital connectivity, data centres, artificial intelligence and real-time data collection would underpin the new economy, and predicted that the State would be pivotal to achieving national goals by 2047. Praising Mr. Naidu’s call for ‘smart work’ rather than mere hard labour, he described the announcement of some IT majors’ intentions to invest as a welcome development, noting proposed investments to the tune of $15 billion.

Turning to logistics for the forthcoming rally, the meeting undertook a comprehensive review of traffic management, parking, stage construction, seating, potable water, medical facilities and security arrangements. Mr. Palla urged all departments to work in close coordination to ensure that the event proceeds smoothly and without inconvenience to the public.