Development moves ahead where farmers come forward to give land: Andhra CM

Metro India News | Pamidimukkala

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said that land is needed to achieve development, stressing that where farmers come forward to give land, there development moves ahead.

Addressing a public meeting at Pamidimukkala village in Krishna district while commemorating May Day and "Pedala Sevalo" (in the service of the poor) programmes, he said the greenfield capital city of Amaravati is an example of this development model, where 29,000 farmers came forward to give 33,000 acres of land.

"I have to tell you all one thing; land is needed for development. Where farmers give land, there development moves forward…Amaravati is a model. That day when I asked, 33,000 acres land was given by 29,000 farmers without taking even a single pie under land pooling," Naidu said.

Naidu added that Amaravati farmers came forward based on the promise of returning developed plots and annuity, calling this arrangement a "gamechanger."

Today, the Amaravati capital has come there and the farmers "fortunes are changing." Observing that the greenfield capital city's construction is progressing apace, the TDP supremo promised to build an inner right road (IRR) in Amaravati. Underscoring the "faith" farmers reposed on him, Naidu said his request for more land under the second phase of the land pooling scheme (LPS) has spurred them to give another 16,000 acres, adding that he will repay their "debt."

Likewise, the CM said 3,000 acres were given to set up a steel city in Visakhapatnam and highlighted that the USD 15 billion Google AI data centre investment, which he said will propel the state to the top internationally in technology, drew response from players like Reliance Jio. According to the chief minister, Reliance Jio has come forward to invest USD 17 billion or Rs 1.7 lakh crore in Andhra Pradesh.

"What is the benefit with this? Asking you to understand--future belongs to technology, not physical labour," Naidu said. Further, he said the Centre is taking up road widening works at a cost of Rs 574 crore under Bharatmala Pariyojana scheme, noting that Machilipatnam bypass road will be widened from a two-lane road to a six-lane one, along with the widening of the beach road. Likewise, the road from Vijayawada to Machilipatnam was being widened into a six-lane while an express highway will link Hyderabad and Machilipatnam.

Extending May Day greetings, the CM said the southern state is giving monthly welfare pensions to 62.4 lakh people and has spent Rs 63,000 crore on this scheme in the past 22 months. Every month, he said, Rs 2,700 crore is being earmarked for the welfare pension scheme, highlighting that the TDP-led NDA government was spending Rs 33,000 crore on this scheme annually, unlike any other state in the country.

Saluting the working class toiling in torrid temperatures and hazardous conditions, Naidu emphasised that it was their struggle which was driving the society forward. For such kinds of workers, he said the government was spending Rs 615 crore on labour welfare and added that "labour addas" (centres) will be set up at 15 places across the state, which will offer shelter during rain, heat waves and to avoid difficulties.

From the labour addas, he said manpower could be hired and promised to transform these facilities into skill development centres. Noting that labour welfare schemes have been revived, Naidu said the government will extend Rs 25,000 for the wedding of a construction worker and emphasised that this scheme will also apply to his daughter. On bearing children, the CM said Rs 20,000 will be extended to the construction worker's wife and daughter as financial aid, among other schemes for the working class.

Along with the construction of ESI hospitals at Atchutyapuram, Guntur, Sri City and Kurnool, the CM said a similar facility will also be built in Amaravati. Further, Naidu said the government set a target to complete Bandar Port (in Machilipatnam) by December, among other goals. Naidu accused the opposition YSRCP of being a political party with a "criminal nature" and said "criminals" are useless in politics. Alluding to YSRCP supremo YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Naidu alleged that the former was plagued with mental issues, which were causing him to "cheat all and destroy." Further, he alleged that the erstwhile YSRCP government had destroyed Polavaram Project and stalled people's capital Amaravati's construction, calling it a desert and a graveyard.