Andhra Pradesh is suddenly at the centre of India’s investment map. Over the past several months, the state has drawn in a flurry of large industrial commitments, ranging from green energy to solar manufacturing, from artificial intelligence infrastructure to futuristic electric air taxis. The numbers being quoted are staggering and the political noise from neighbouring states is even louder. But beneath the headline-grabbing announcements lies a deeper shift in India’s competitive federalism. At the heart of Andhra Pradesh’s pitch is a simple idea: “Speed of Doing Business.”

While many states invoke similar slogans, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has tried to turn it into a measurable administrative ethos. Companies relocating from other southern states have highlighted faster approvals, direct engagement with policymakers and land allotment timelines that are unusually short by Indian standards. For firms that operate in rapidly........

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