YSRCP is not opposed to bringing new national institutes to Amaravati. In fact, YSRCP welcomes the proposal to establish a second National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology centre in the state, primarily focused on Quantum Technologies and Artificial Intelligence.
However, the party strongly opposes any move to shift the already sanctioned permanent centre with Deemed University status to Amaravati from Tirupati.
The proposal should not be seen as a choice between Tirupati and Amaravati. Andhra Pradesh should have both: a permanent National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology (NIELIT) centre in Tirupati and a second centre in Amaravati focusing on Quantum Technologies and AI.
Electronics ecosystem around Tirupati
NIELIT is an autonomous scientific society under the Centre’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). NIELIT is engaged in both formal and non-formal education in the area of Information, Electronics & Communications Technology (IECT). High-end courses and specialised post-graduate programmes offered by the NIELIT centre are not offered by regular universities.
NIELIT has been conferred the status of Deemed to be University under the distinct category by the Ministry of Education, having its main campus at Ropar (Punjab) and eleven constituent campuses located in Aizawl, Agartala, Calicut, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Gorakhpur, Imphal, Itanagar, Ajmer, Kohima, Patna and Srinagar, and aims to revolutionise higher education in the E&ICT domain using digital technologies.
Tirupati is already home to nearly ten universities, including national institutes like the IIT, IISER, and IIIT Sri City, 24 engineering colleges, and several electronic clusters, and is uniquely positioned to emerge as a major hub for cyber research, electronics, semiconductor technologies, and innovation. Further, NIELIT Tirupati has also been planned to be included as a constituent unit (campus) of the NIELIT Deemed to be University—once the permanent campus is constructed.
The proposed Centre of Excellence (CoE) would therefore provide an important platform for advanced research, industry collaboration, and the development of highly skilled professionals.
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NIELIT Tirupati took years to materialise
The establishment of a permanent NIELIT presence in Tirupati was the result of years of sincere perseverance and sustained follow-up by the erstwhile YSRCP Government under former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy with the Union MeitY. MeitY provided administrative approval dated 4 January 2024 for setting up the NIELIT Centre, Tirupati, implemented by NIELIT, Chennai, with a total budget outlay of Rs 850.09 lakh, MeitY Contribution: Rs 693.25 Lakh, and NIELIT Internal Revenue (IR): Rs 157.73 Lakh over a period of three years.
The funds are to be released to the agency through the Central Nodal Agency (CNA), NIELIT, New Delhi, as a grant-in-aid under the Capacity Building & Skill Development of MeitY. The Centre offers training programmes, including NSQF-aligned courses, short-term certificate courses, faculty development programs, and other joint training programs with industry, with a total intake of 1,845 candidates across three years. The centre is being established in an area of approximately 8,000 square feet area of built-up space, allotted by SV University, Tirupati.
A Detailed Project Report (DPR) was also submitted for the permanent campus of NIELIT Tirupati Centre, which will also be developed as one of the constituent units of NIELIT Deemed to be a University, which will be set up at Tirupati on a plot of land measuring approximately 15 acres, to be allotted to NIELIT by the Andhra Pradesh government, with a total project outlay of Rs 87.20 crore, of which Rs 86.85 crore in Grant-in-Aid is sought from MeitY.
The centre was already operational before its formal inauguration on October 2, 2025 and has already trained candidates in electronics, information technology, and semiconductor-related fields.
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Development should not mean centralisation
The Government Proposal to move the permanent centre and Deemed University Status from Tirupati to Amaravati would effectively mean centralising another major National Institute in the capital region while weakening the development of an already established knowledge ecosystem in Rayalaseema.
A progressive and decentralised approach would be to strengthen the already existing facility rather than to relocate it. Amaravati can develop as a major centre for AI and Quantum Technologies, while Tirupati can continue to grow as a hub for electronics, semiconductors, cyber research, and advanced technical education with a permanent centre.
The goal should be decentralised development across Andhra Pradesh—not the centralisation of every major institution in Amaravati.
Maddila Gurumoorthy is the YSRCP Member of Parliament from Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)