Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday urged industry to move beyond public-private partnerships (P3) to what he calls P4, or Public-Private-People Partnership, asking every entrepreneur to adopt at least four to five families through CSR and “hand-hold” them out of poverty.

Speaking at the second day of CII partnership summit at Visakhapatnam, where several investment MoUs were signed, Naidu said the state’s goal is to ensure there is “no more bottom 20%”.

Under his MBK 10-20 framework, the top 10% of households, called “Marga Darsis” (guides), would mentor the bottom 20%, called “Bangaru Kutumbam” (golden families).

The Zero Poverty-P4 programme was launched on Ugadi in March 2025 with a target of a poverty-free state by 2029.

Two P4 MoUs

Two P4-linked agreements were signed at the event:

• Hero’s Brij Mohanlal Munjal scholarship: The initiative will fund about 1,120 students across 28 districts who clear Class 10 and join IITs for six-year integrated engineering programmes. The sponsor will provide Rs 2.9 lakh per student, a total outlay of Rs 32.48 crore. Naidu said that if all 1,120 students complete their education, their families would be above the poverty line within six years. The programme follows the Heroes of Tomorrow scholarship announced by Hero MotoCorp alongside its Tirupati investment.
• ITC: The company will take up nearly 100 villages and 25,000 families, providing comprehensive support, in what is described as a strategic partnership for inclusive rural development. Naidu asked ITC to bring its professional approach and said he would review progress every year, including what was done, the impact and the outcomes. He said he would also foster competition among corporates on P4 delivery.

Beyond cheques

Naidu stressed that one-time financial help was not enough. What families need, he said, is sustained mentoring, timely guidance on education and career choices, and solutions to specific problems. A Class 10 student, for instance, often has parents who cannot advise on the right stream or on future-ready courses.

“Not only spending money, that is only one-time help,” he said, arguing that long-term hand-holding is what shifts families up the income ladder.

Success stories

He cited examples from Kuppam, where TVS adopted about 3,000 families. A woman with brick-making skills received an investment of around Rs 1.5 lakh, either as loan or equity. She now employs 20 workers and earns roughly Rs 25 lakh a year, having been a factory labourer earlier. In another case, a man bought an electric auto, then used profits to buy two cows and later opened a shop, building three income streams.

Inclusion data

Citing a recent OP Jindal report, Naidu said Andhra Pradesh ranks 13th in per capita income but second, after Goa, in access to equality, reflecting access to housing, tap water, power and gas at affordable prices. He linked this to the NDA’s strong showing in the 2024 elections and recent local body polls, where he said his party gained an additional 3.6% vote share.

Speed over paper MoUs

On investment, Naidu told signatories he was more interested in inaugurations than foundation stones or paper MoUs. His departments would provide clearances and land, he said, but companies must commit to a timeline for inauguration. “You have to create a speed record,” he told entrepreneurs.

Tech push

Naidu also pitched the state as a hub for emerging technology, citing a 5,000-acre space-related facility in Tirupati and start-ups working on satellite launches, space-based solar power and orbital data centres. He said that while he had promoted IT three decades ago, the present era belongs to AI, quantum computing, drones, semiconductors, robotics and aerospace, and called on youth to pursue disruptive thinking.

He also announced a global leadership centre in Amaravati, in partnership with CII, to groom business, social and political leaders. Weak leadership, he said, lies behind the troubles in several European countries.

The ask

Closing his address, Naidu said wealth has meaning only when it helps the needy. “Society is divided into haves and have-nots,” he said, adding that inequality breeds frustration and ultimately leaves no one safe. He asked each corporate to adopt a family or village anywhere in India, recalling that many who were born in his own village alongside him remain in poor shape.