Another Big Development for Andhra: Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) to Develop Greenfield Shipyard at Dugarajapatnam

• ₹15,000 crore investment over 5–7 years; project to generate around 45,000 jobs. 
• CM Chandrababu Naidu: Andhra Pradesh will be at the forefront of India’s ambition to become one of the world’s top five shipbuilding nations by 2047

Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), a Navratna Defence PSU under the Ministry of Defence, has signed an MoU with National Shipbuilding and Heavy Industries Park-AP (NSHIP-AP) to develop a modern greenfield shipyard at Dugarajapatnam.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Chief Minister Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu by Capt. Jagmohan (Retd.), Chairman & Managing Director, MDL, and Shri Praveen Adhithya C.V., IAS, Managing Director, NSHIP-AP.

Speaking on the development, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said Andhra Pradesh is committed to being at the forefront of India’s ambition to become one of the world’s top five shipbuilding nations by 2047. He said the State will leverage its long coastline, strategic location and industrial ecosystem to drive growth in the maritime sector.

“India has set an ambitious vision of becoming one of the world’s top five shipbuilding nations by 2047. Andhra Pradesh is committed to being at the forefront of this journey by leveraging its long coastline, strategic location and industrial ecosystem,” the Chief Minister said.

CM Naidu said the Dugarajapatnam shipbuilding cluster, with MDL as the Anchor Shipyard, will position Andhra Pradesh as a major shipbuilding hub and attract investments and ancillary industries to the State.

He said the project will also create large-scale employment and new opportunities in shipbuilding, marine engineering, manufacturing, logistics and other allied sectors.

The Government of Andhra Pradesh is envisaging the development of a greenfield Shipbuilding-cum-Port Cluster at Dugarajapatnam. The Techno-Economic Feasibility Report estimates the Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Yard at approximately ₹29,254 crore and the Port at ₹9,513 crore. The Port is proposed to be developed by the Government of India.

Under the MoU, MDL envisages an investment of around ₹15,000 crore over the next five to seven years, subject to the required approvals and clearances. The project is expected to generate direct and indirect employment for around 45,000 people in Andhra Pradesh.

The proposed shipyard will have a design capacity of 1.2 million Gross Tonnage per annum, with scope for further expansion based on market requirements. It will build commercial vessels including tankers, bulk carriers, container ships, LNG carriers and other large, specialised vessels.

The shipbuilding cluster is being developed under the Government of India’s Shipbuilding Development Scheme (SbDS). NSHIP-AP, a Special Purpose Vehicle jointly formed by the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board and Visakhapatnam Port Authority, has identified MDL as the Anchor Shipyard.

Capt. Jagmohan (Retd.), Chairman & Managing Director, MDL, said Dugarajapatnam has the scale and maritime potential to develop a globally competitive shipyard. He said MDL aims to create a modern facility serving both domestic and international markets.

Mr Jasmeet Singh Bindra, Chairperson, Visakhapatnam Port Authority, said VPA, as a 50% shareholder in NSHIP-AP, is committed to the development of the shipbuilding cluster and will support coordination with the Government of India and other Central Government agencies.

Mr Kona Sasidhar, IAS, Secretary, Infrastructure & Investment, Government of Andhra Pradesh, said the selection of MDL as the Anchor Shipyard is an important milestone in the State’s maritime development. He said the project has the potential to create a major shipbuilding and ancillary ecosystem at Dugarajapatnam.

The Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board will facilitate land, infrastructure and statutory clearances required for the timely development of the project.

AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu Launches Mobile App For Farmers In India

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday launched an innovative multi-lingual plant disease and pest diagnostic app ‘Plantix’  for farmer’s mobile phones. This app would help farmers to identify pests and diseases in their crops and will also suggest remedies for the same. Initially launched in the Indian regional languages of Telugu and Hindi, the app will soon be available in other regional languages.

The crop-damage diagnosis app Plantix was developed by the German startup Progressive Environmental & Agricultural Technologies (PEAT) in collaboration with its knowledge and extension partner, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and the Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University.

Commenting on ICRISAT’s partnership in the development of the app, Dr David Bergvinson, Director General, ICRISAT, said “The app could prove to be a game-changer in the field, providing farmers free, reliable and quick diagnosis of crop damage. The simplified dashboard with easy-to-use features helps the app take on the role of an extension worker as well. The app is a novel experiment in using digital technologies for agriculture.”

How Does It Work?

App is easy and simple to use. Farmers just need to take pictures of the affected crop and upload them on the app. The photographs are analyzed using artificial intelligence algorithms and results returned immediately to the individual farmer.

Critical information on symptoms, triggers, chemicals as well as biological treatments is provided. All pictures sent via the app are geo-tagged thereby enabling real-time monitoring of pest and diseases. The resulting metadata provides valuable insights into the spatial distribution of cultivated crops and most significant plant diseases e.g. in the form of high-resolution maps.

Furthermore, the app encompasses a weather information system specific to the farmer's’ location and a community feature that facilitates interaction with other players interested in plant protection services.

“Every time there were pests in our field, we would go to the fertilizer dealer for help. The dealer would suggest remedies using a combination of 3-4 types of pesticides based on their experience.
However, results were not guaranteed, and while sometimes the recommendation worked, often it didn’t. Now with this app, we can find reliable advice at the click of a button,” said Chandra Mohan Reddy, a farmer from Chagantipadu village in Krishna district.

Its USP?

App provides following benefits to the farmers:

Real-time diagnosis: Uploaded crop photos are analyzed using image-recognition technology that uses a database of half a million pictures covering 30 crops and offers prescriptions for over 120 crop diseases
Smallholder farmers as end-users: Free of cost, with an easy-to-use dashboard in local languages
Successfully tested: Recently demonstrated successfully with farmers at several sites, including Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh

“The early recognition and tailor-made treatment plans for every plant damage are particularly important for farmers’ success and these are the main advantages of Plantix. We also offer information about preventive measures, which should help to avoid plant damage in the first place,” said PEAT’s CEO Simone Strey.

Currently, the database has half a million pictures covering 30 crops worldwide and offers prescriptions for over 120 crop diseases. Demonstrations with farmers held recently in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana was very successful.