Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has instructed district collectors to continue the ‘SwachhAndhra’ (clean Andhra) campaign, with the goal of ensuring that no waste is visible anywhere in the state from January. Speaking at the second day of the collectors’ conference, he also directed them to extend any initiatives launched under the central government's ‘Swachh Bharat’ programme to all parts of the state.
Noting that circular economy policies have been initiated, the Chief Minister said five circular economy parks will be established in five zones. S Suresh Kumar, the Principal Secretary for Municipal Administration and Urban Development, announced a new initiative to tackle legacy waste, with the ambitious plan to clear 8.6 million tonnes of old waste dumps by October 2, followed by an additional 3 million tonnes by December.
According to Kumar, the reclaimed land will be put to productive use, with recovered soil processed into compost and Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) supplied to cement factories. He added that waste-to-energy projects are already operational in Visakhapatnam and Guntur, and new plants are planned for Nellore, Rajahmundry, Kurnool, Kadapa, Vijayawada, and Tirupati, with six projects expected to be fully functional by 2027.
The official also said that land acquisition is underway for 142 Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), which will ensure that treated water is safely reused. He added that adopting a circular economy model would guarantee environmental protection, water recycling, and resource efficiency, while also creating new employment opportunities. As a best practice, he said the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat was declared Single-Use Plastic (SUP) Free on August 15, and all district collectorates and government offices have been directed to achieve the same status by December 2025.
Digital Governance and Technology
IT Secretary K Bhaskar instructed collectors to stop summoning people to government offices for certificates, explaining that these documents should now be delivered through the 'Mana Mitra' WhatsApp initiative. He called 'Mana Mitra' a transformative tool, and urged collectors to play a key role in ensuring citizens fully utilise it. Currently, 738 services are available via the platform, with more to be added soon.
The IT secretary also revealed the state's ambitious plans to become a global quantum destination. According to Bhaskar, IBM will set up two quantum computers in the Amaravati quantum valley by January 2026, with three more to follow by 2027. The state aims to achieve quantum hardware exports worth ₹5,000 crore and establish 100 start-ups in the quantum valley. He noted that the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) has already allocated 50 acres for the project.
Additionally, Bhaskar stated that the state is enhancing its disaster preparedness and governance efficiency through the RTGS Aware 2.0 system. To protect citizens from lightning and floods, automatic sirens are being installed at village secretariats. A pilot project in one village has already shown excellent results, with the sirens operating via ISRO satellite support even without a mobile signal. Finally, he shared that a centralised data lake with over six petabytes of government data has been created, allowing collectors to instantly access district-level information and eliminate the duplication of effort.
Also read: At collectors’ meet, Naidu underscores 'Swarna Andhra 2047' plan
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