Minister for Tourism and Culture Kandula Durgesh on Sunday announced that the ‘Nandi Natakotsavams’ (Nandi Theatre Festival) will be held on a grand scale, in November.

Participating in a national-level Telugu drama competition held at Eluru, the Minister spoke elaborately about the glory of the arts and culture of the Andhra land and the support extended by the TDP-led coalition government. He said awards given to theatre personalities and artists, who were completely neglected by the YSRCP government, were being revived under the TDP rule. “We have already presented Ugadi and Kandukuri awards,” he said, adding that the lost sheen of Nandi awards would be restored in a befitting manner.

The Minister informed that during his recent meeting with the Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, in New Delhi, he had requested the latter to grant a National School of Drama to Andhra Pradesh. “Rajamahendravaram with its deep cultural roots, can be a potential location for the proposed school,” he said, adding that the new facility will encourage aspiring artists and strengthen the cultural landscape in the State.

He said that the government also had grand plans to elevate the tourism sector through Public-Private Partnership model. He said to provide the much-needed boost to the sector, the government had accorded industry status to tourism segment and the new tourism policy offered incentives and subsidies to investors. The investors’ summits held at Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and New Delhi were aimed at showcasing the tourism potential of Andhra Pradesh to the world, he said.

Referring to a recent agreement between the State government and Creative Land Asia, the Minister said that in a first-of-its-kind in India, a Trans Media Entertainment City would be established in the State, and the plan included development of theme parks, gaming zones and a global cinema co-production zone. He said efforts were also in progress to develop a film industry in Amaravati in the days to come.