Reliance to invest ₹1 lakh crore in Andhra Pradesh for CBG plants; projects to create 3 lakh jobs

Reliance Industries will invest ₹1 lakh crore in Andhra Pradesh to set up compressed biogas (CBG) plants, RIL executive director Anant M Ambani said on Thursday, adding that the projects are expected to create more than 3 lakh jobs and generate nearly ₹60,000 crore in revenue for the state over the coming decades.

Speaking at the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Rayalaseema Horticulture Hub and Indian School of Agriculture in Madanapalle, Ambani said Reliance was grateful to the Andhra Pradesh government for the opportunity to invest in the state.

“These will create over 3 lakh jobs and bring nearly ₹60,000 crore in revenue to the state over the next decades,” Ambani said.

The investment will form part of Reliance’s efforts to link agriculture with its green energy businesses. Ambani said farmers, who ensure India’s food security, can also contribute to the country’s energy security by becoming “Urja Daatas”.

“Through Reliance’s green energy businesses, I see an opportunity to help our Anna Daatas become Urja Daatas,” he said.

Reliance to collaborate with agriculture school

Ambani also outlined four areas where Reliance and its businesses could work with the newly established Indian School of Agriculture.

He said Jio will collaborate with the school to take its training modules to millions of farmers in Indian languages through virtual classrooms in villages. Educated rural youth could also become “digitally enabled extension workers” to help farmers use the knowledge.

“Jio will collaborate with the Indian School of Agriculture to bring your training modules to millions of farmers in Indian languages and in an interactive mode through virtual classrooms in villages,” Ambani said.

He also highlighted Jio Krishi, a platform developed by Jio with products aimed at benefiting farmers. Reliance has also established an R&D centre for bio-energy development in Jamnagar.

AI, drones and robotics for farming

Ambani said the Indian School of Agriculture could bring together artificial intelligence and traditional farming knowledge, with technologies such as drones, robotics, cloud computing and price intelligence being used to improve agricultural productivity and farmers’ incomes.

He said drones could help map crop health and enable precise use of water and nutrients, while robotics could reduce manual labour and losses. Cloud computing, he added, could put timely agricultural advice in farmers’ hands.

Ambani also said Reliance would be open to establishing a relationship between the agriculture school and the proposed Global University for Wildlife and Veterinary Sciences at Vantara in Jamnagar.

He said the objective was to make agriculture a profession that young Indians could choose with pride by giving them the skills, technology and enterprise to build successful futures in their own villages.

Ambani further said Andhra Pradesh had approved 388 mega projects since June 2024, involving investment commitments of more than ₹14 lakh crore and the potential to create nearly 11 lakh jobs. About a third of these investments are headed to Rayalaseema, he said.