EAST GODAVARI district is poised to become a major centre of economic growth on the east coast of India. Success in offshore and onshore hydrocarbon exploration has attracted several industrialists to the region. The picturesque Konaseema delta region and abundant natural resources, including mineral wealth, add to the district's growth potential.
New irrigation projects, already completed or at the initial stages of construction, are expected to bring at least three lakh acres of semi-arid land under cultivation probably within the next 10 years. K.S. Jawahar Reddy, until recently the District Collector, said: "East Godavari is going to witness another Green Revolution with all the major, medium and minor irrigation projects taking shape. It is poised for another cotton era. While Sir Arthur Cotton could bring four and a half lakh acres in East Godavari under cultivation through the Dowlaiswaram anicut, now over three lakh acres are going to be added during the next 10-year period under the new irrigation projects."
Once the irrigation projects, which include Pushkara, Surampalem, Bhuapatipalem, Chagalnadu and Venkatnagar, are ready, the regional economy would undergo a sea change, triggering industrial development.
With plans afoot to construct an industrial corridor, connecting Kakinada and the port city of Visakhapatnam, Jawahar Reddy visualises rapid industrialisation of the region.
The proposed commercial production of natural gas (huge reserves of it have been discovered) within a couple of years would open a new chapter in the speedy development of gas-based industries, especially the power plants which have failed to take off for want of gas all these years.
The widening of National Highway No.5 and the linking of Konaseema to the district headquarters by a bridge across the Godavari river near Yanam have ensured quick movement of vehicles, paving the way for easy marketing of various products.
A major ceramic project with foreign investment and a bio-diesel plant are to come up in and around Kakinada. Recently a team from the United States Consulate in Chennai visited the district and explored the possibilities of investment in port-based industries. Jawahar Reddy said that the U.S. team was impressed with Kakinada and said that the town could become the destination point for investors. The coexistence of an age-old anchorage port and the Asian Development Bank-funded deepwater port has helped in hinterland development.
The Rs.25-crore-worth Fashion Technology Project will help in empowering women. So far, 7,000 women in the district have been trained in sewing, embroidery, lace making and fashion designing. About 2,000 imported sewing machines have been given to them to enable their self-employment. "To make it a cluster project, plans are under way to link all the five coastal districts from West Godavari to Srikakulam to the project. Recently, it could secure some orders for the supply of garments from abroad,'' said Jawahar Reddy.
To East Godavari goes the credit of having the largest number of women self-help groups (SHGs) in the country. With the addition of 8,000 more SHGs this year, their total number has gone up to 56,000. The district administration plans to provide financial assistance of Rs.150 crores to 30,000 SHGs.
East Godavari is rated high for awareness about human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) among its citizens. A private organisation, which conducted a random study about AIDS awareness among women in the three regions of Andhra Pradesh, found that awareness was exceptionally high (90 per cent) among women in the district.
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