•  Piyush Goyal directs officials to earmark dedicated MSME and startup zones in Andhra's industrial corridors.
• Focus on building incubators and innovation-friendly ecosystems to attract early-stage enterprises.
•  Centralised dashboard and quality control mechanisms proposed for real-time project tracking and infrastructure excellence.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has asked the officials to allocate specific areas for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and startups in Andhra Pradesh's new industrial corridors. The initiative is intended to create a strong innovation ecosystem and boost India's manufacturing competitiveness, as per an official release released on Tuesday.

The instruction was issued at a review meeting on June 15 to evaluate the progress of industrial nodes being prepared by the National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC), the nodal agency of the multi-corridor project.

Goyal called on officials to lure anchor investors and startups by creating innovation-conducive ambiances in every node. He stressed the requirement of special incubators to promote early-stage businesses and suggested providing discounted rates of land, advanced infrastructure, and technological support especially for MSMEs and startups.

Further, the minister suggested setting up a centralized digital dashboard to facilitate real-time monitoring of projects. He also urged the implementation of sophisticated testing and quality control systems in order to deliver high-quality infrastructure.

On the occasion of the meeting, NICDC CEO Rajat Kumar Saini emphasized the need for quick acquisition of land and timely completion of external infrastructure by the state government.

NICDC's charter involves the creation of next-generation industrial smart cities with a view to increasing manufacturing, employment, investments from abroad, and moving India higher in the value chain globally.