Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh lost its old capital, Hyderabad, in 2014. In 2026, its new one finally became permanent.

Must Know

• Andhra Pradesh’s capital is Amaravati. Its Chief Minister is N. Chandrababu Naidu, who took office on 12 June 2024 for a record fourth term. Its Governor is S. Abdul Nazeer, in office since 24 February 2023.
• Andhra Pradesh was formed on 1 November 1956, when the Telugu-speaking Andhra State merged with Telugu-speaking areas of the former Hyderabad State.
• Andhra State itself, formed on 1 October 1953, was India’s first state created on a linguistic basis, ahead of the wider States Reorganisation Act of 1956.
• Andhra Pradesh borders Odisha and Chhattisgarh to the north, Telangana to the northwest, Karnataka to the west, and Tamil Nadu to the south.
• The state has a coastline of about 974 km along the Bay of Bengal, the second-longest of any Indian state, after Gujarat.

Good to Know

• Andhra Pradesh was split in two on 2 June 2014, under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. The northwestern districts became the new state of Telangana, taking the shared capital, Hyderabad, with it.
• This left present-day Andhra Pradesh, sometimes called Seemandhra in that period, without a capital city of its own.
• For years afterward, the state debated a three-capital plan: Amaravati as legislative capital, Visakhapatnam as executive capital, and Kurnool as judicial capital.
• In 2026, Parliament passed the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Act, 2026, and President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent. This ended the tri-capital plan and made Amaravati the state’s sole, permanent capital.
• The state’s two major rivers, the Krishna and the Godavari, form fertile deltas across its coastal plains. These deltas support intensive rice cultivation.

Test Yourself

Great to Know

• Andhra Pradesh’s Gross State Domestic Product was estimated at about ₹19.75 lakh crore for FY27, after growing roughly 11.3% over 2024-26.
• Visakhapatnam has grown into one of India’s major pharmaceutical hubs. It ranks third nationally by production volume, anchored by the Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City special economic zone.
• This growth came after a difficult start: losing Hyderabad in 2014 meant losing the erstwhile state’s main economic, administrative, and revenue-generating centre overnight.
• Kuchipudi, one of India’s eight recognised classical dance forms, originated in the village of the same name in Andhra Pradesh. It is rooted in Vaishnavite storytelling traditions centred on Krishna.
• Andhra Pradesh’s NTR Bharosa Pension scheme, restored on 1 July 2024 after CM Naidu’s return to power, raised pension amounts across every beneficiary category. See IndSoc0067 — NTR Bharosa Pension.