SHGs AP's Biggest Strength: Chandrababu Naidu

In his first meeting with Collectors from all the 13 districts after the formation of new Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu said the government had a massive task of developing the residual AP into a "Sunrise State".

Addressing District Collectors in Vijayawada on Thursday, the Chief Minister said that even if the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) did not come forward or if the banks did not reschedule loans, he would still go ahead with the promised loan waivers.

Indicating that the conference was an important platform to give direction to the new State, he said that AP was faced with challenges such as the lack of a capital and basic infrastructure.

Stating that the political administration was confronted by uncertainties, he said that the growth rate in the last 10 years had dropped due to lack of reforms to revive the economy and also due to incumbency. This non-performance had hit the common people the most as the prices of essential commodities and vegetables had skyrocketed.

The Chief Minister also said that there was an uncertainty because of the delay in cadre allocation.

Stating that he had two roles to play - as the Chief Minister of the new State as well as the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president in Telangana - he said that the political mandate needed to be implemented by the government machinery.

He added that the capital would likely be a central location.

Naidu said that inclusive growth was the state government's priority. Stating that Self-Help Groups were the biggest strength for the government, he said that the aim would be to make at least one member in a family be part of an SHG.

"They are the source of social empowerment. They have created awareness about family planning by controlling population, and have been instrumental in empowering lives," he praised.

The Chief Minister asked the Collectors to adopt "out-of-the-box thinking", and said that he would support honest officers. He added that about 10,000 important functionaries would get tablets to make communication and coordination easy.

Naidu also added that law-and-order and development needed to be properly integrated and balanced. He urged the Collectors to come out with action-based plans, and to address issues after categorizing them into Immediate, Short-term and Long-term.

He said that District Collectors would be held accountable for their administration, and should look into providing cost-effective solutions. (INN)