Tuni (Kakinada District): Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu on Monday launched a sharp attack on the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), accusing it of hatching political conspiracies to create unrest in Andhra Pradesh, while the coalition government was focused on development, welfare, and transparent governance.
Addressing a public meeting under the "Pedala Sevalo" programme at Chamavaram village in the Tuni Assembly constituency of Kakinada district, Naidu alleged that the opposition party was trying to create controversies and spread misinformation for political gain. He cited several recent incidents and claimed that efforts were being made to unfairly blame the government for various issues, including crimes and accidents.
Referring to the recent teacher recruitment process, Naidu said the coalition government had ensured complete transparency through computer-based examinations, multiple question paper sets, and strict monitoring mechanisms. He criticised the previous YSRCP government for failing to fill teacher vacancies during its tenure and said his administration had resolved legal hurdles to conduct large-scale recruitment.
The state government is working day and night to rebuild Andhra Pradesh, while the opposition party is attempting to create obstacles and drag governance backwards, he said.
Highlighting welfare measures, the Chief Minister said the government was distributing pensions worth Rs 2,729 crore every month to 62.34 lakh beneficiaries. He announced that an additional 5,606 beneficiaries had been sanctioned spouse's pensions amounting to Rs 2.24 crore this month.
The CM said the TDP-led NDA government has been working for the welfare of the poor since day one, and that the increase in welfare pensions reflects this commitment.
"My dream is to see a poverty-free society. I always think about fulfilling the basic needs of the poor," said Naidu, adding that pensions under various categories have been increased to as much as Rs 15,000 per month. According to the CM, the state government is spending Rs 32,000 crore annually on welfare pensions alone, unlike any other state in the country.
Naidu outlined the reach of welfare programmes such as Talliki Vandanam, Stree Shakti, Annadata Sukhibhava, Auto Driver Sevalo and schemes for fishermen aimed at improving the living standards of the poor.
Naidu expressed his confidence that investments totalling Rs 23 lakh crore would generate nearly 23 lakh jobs over the next 23 months, reducing the need for youth to migrate to other states in search of employment.
On education and healthcare fronts, the Chief Minister said the government was introducing reforms to provide quality education and modernise learning systems. He announced plans to introduce a Universal Health Policy to reduce the financial burden of medical treatment on families.
The Chief Minister said the proposed Sanjeevani initiative would create digital health records for citizens and provide preventive, predictive, and curative healthcare services. Technology-driven services, including AI-assisted healthcare support, would be introduced to improve access to medical consultations and medicines.
Discussing regional development, Naidu said the government was pursuing balanced growth across the state through the Visakhapatnam, Amaravati, and Rayalaseema development regions. He highlighted plans to complete the Polavaram Project and said the left canal works would be completed by July this year to facilitate water supply up to Visakhapatnam.
The Chief Minister observed that global developments, including conflicts in West Asia and the possibility of below-normal rainfall due to Super El Nino conditions, posed challenges. However, he said, efficient reservoir management had enabled the government to release irrigation water in advance and safeguard agricultural interests.For the fisheries sector, he announced Rs 240 crore assistance for 200 mechanised fishing boats on subsidy and Rs 80 crore for completion of the Aminabad Fishing Harbour.
Calling upon people to participate in the 14-day 'Yogandhra' programme in June, Naidu reiterated his government's commitment to the Swarna Andhra Vision-2047, aimed at transforming Andhra Pradesh into a 'model state' through technology-driven governance, welfare, and sustainable development.
Earlier, the Chief Minister interacted with beneficiaries under the P4 initiative and said the government's goal was to build a poverty-free society by empowering disadvantaged families through education and livelihood opportunities.
Ministers, elected representatives and senior officials were present at the programme.