Chandrababu Naidu urges District Collectors to toil hard for 'Swarnandhra'

Vijayawada (AP), Aug 7:

Chief Minister

on Thursday exhorted all District Collectors in the state to dedicate themselves to create a 'Swarnandhra' by uplifting the needy and the downtrodden through welfare initiatives.

Naidu was addressing his first Collectors' Conference here, two months after taking over the reins of truncated AP. He promised all support to Collectors in implementing development schemes in their district and gave them a free hand to take decisions towards people's welfare.

He said the state has been facing many issues after bifurcation and asked Collectors to involve youth, women and farmers in the development process.

The CM directed officials to concentrate on reducing infant and mother mortality rate and also raising women literacy to 70 per cent in the state. Agriculture and allied activities also need to be focused on for providing better employment in rural areas.

Naidu: The state has been facing many issues after bifurcation

Drip and sprinkle irrigations systems should be encouraged in all four Rayalaseema districts and horticultural crops should be promoted, he said. Youth should be given skill training for better opportunities. Industries and services sector also needs to be promoted for better employment opportunities for educated youth, Naidu said.

Airports and ports should be developed as part of infrastructure for overall development. AP has resources for developing ports and they will be connected to hinterlands not only in the state but also adjoining ones, he added.

Urban infrastructure in three mega cities- Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada-Guntur and Tirupati- would be developed along with 16 identified smart cities in the state. He asked Collectors to ensure 100 per cent enrolment in 'Aadhaar' which will help the government in removing lopeholes while providing services.

Naidu assured to fulfill all the election promises including the loan waiver to DWACRA (Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas) groups. He said if banks and RBI do not come forward either for loan waiver or reschedule, alternatives would be discussed to meet the election promises.

PTI