Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday said that his lifelong desire is to irrigate every acre in the Rayalaseema region of the state to repay his debt as the son of the soil.
Addressing a public meeting at Sambepalli village in Annamayya district, the Chief Minister said he must complete this mission started by the former CM of the united state, NT Rama Rao.
"I have a desire in my life to provide water to every acre in Rayalaseema; I will repay my debt as a son of Rayalaseema. I must complete this programme started by NTR," said Naidu, on the sidelines of the NTR Bharosa welfare pension distribution programme.
To accomplish this mission, the Telugu Desam Party supremo observed that the Godavari and Penna rivers should be interlinked, which would require ₹80,000 crore.
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"I am thinking about what to do. Unless innovative programmes are introduced, these will not be possible. We will convince the central government, and you (the people) also pray to God. If that happens, there will be no question of famine in Rayalaseema," he said.
Comparing Rayalaseema to the Konaseema region of the state, the CM said that income levels in Anantapur have overtaken those in Amalapuram, enabled by the availability of water and the prioritisation of horticulture.
Asserting that the state is burdened with ₹10 lakh crore in debt, Naidu said the people reposed their faith in him and brought him back to power, considering his past legacy.
Living up to these expectations, the CM said the TDP-led government has injected life and funds into four to five once-impossible projects, such as the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), Visakhapatnam Railway Zone, Polavaram, Amaravati, and others.
Further, the CM said he will fulfill the poll promises of giving ₹15,000 per annum to every school-going child as soon as possible and disbursing ₹20,000 in financial aid to farmers starting in May.
Naidu also highlighted that investment proposals worth ₹6.2 lakh crore were received in the past seven months, which will generate 4.5 lakh jobs.
Moreover, Naidu said he is toying with the idea of transforming the entire APSRTC bus fleet into an electric one, equipped with air conditioning.
Finally, he called on young people to give up the concept of Double Income, No Kids (DINK), as the risk of a plummeting population is increasing.
The CM noted that Sambepalli village’s population growth rate is only 1.9, stressing that it is important to achieve a replacement-level population growth rate of 2.1.
Naidu stressed that it is important not to repeat the mistakes committed by some countries concerning population.
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