AP's industrial narrative extends beyond minerals and ports. APIIC's SEZ catalogue lists IT/ITES locations such as Madhurawada and Kakinada's Sarpavaram. The state also approved an IT and Global Capability Centres Policy 4.0 for 2024–29. A services SEZ is not a mine or an ore-processing unit. It may depend on digital connectivity, skilled labour and urban amenities more than bulk cargo handling.

Electronics manufacturing and data centres have separate policy frameworks and physical requirements. An approval creates a framework for applicants, not a census of open offices or jobs. A question asking for “IT/ITES” should be answered by the notified sector of the specific location and source date. Old APIIC lists can retain previous district names. A map marker at Madhurawada identifies a location near Visakhapatnam; it does not describe every software establishment in the metropolitan area.

Worked example: An electronics park and an IT services centre both belong to modern industry but have different outputs. A proposed data centre, an occupied office building and export value are separate stages. An exam classification question can distinguish services from manufacturing; a current jobs or investment claim needs an official, dated operational report.

Active recall: Which sector does IT/ITES describe, and why is a policy approval not evidence of occupied floor space?