PR discrepancy mars AP’s ‘success’ story

Apart from this, a prospective industrial investment of Rs one lakh crore that was to come into the state has also supposedly been lost in the same period, if one goes by the figures put out by the ‘Research and Reference Wing’ of the state Information and PR Department.

“Currently, industries have started in the state with an investment of Rs 59,000 crore. While production has commenced in some of these industries, others are on a trial run,” the I&PR Department had said in a September 26 press release issued in the name of its Commissioner. 

The same Research and Reference Wing issued another press note on October 16 with no change in the wording, but showing the sum invested as Rs 47,680 crore. Even the figure Rs 47,680 crore appears to be inaccurate as the note said that Rs 43,660 crore has already been “invested” while another Rs 2,850 crore “will be invested”, making it a total of only Rs 46,510 crore. In that case, the “vanished” amount would be Rs 12,490 crore. The Information and PR Department has offered no explanation over such huge variation in the investment figures as it quietly sought to push the “success story” afresh on October 16. No specific numbers were given in respect of the industries already opened and those in the process of being opened.