Though there is a possibility of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as indicated by Prime Minister Office, and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu meeting for first time after 2018-19 Union Budget when the CM publicly bursted out on injustice done to the State and declaring his readiness for any sacrifice until justice is done to Telugus.
Interestingly in a sudden move and shock, PMO has started enquiring with the State Government about any inaugurations that can be done by the Prime Minister if he visits the State in near future. For the past one year, Naidu has been requesting the PM to inaugurate Kurnool 1000 MW largest solar park, but ironically, the PM has not given the time till date, though, there were many requests in pending.
The most patient Naidu has, first time on Saturday, in a public meeting held in Guntur District after many inaugurations of developmental programs, demanded the Prime Minister and the Central Ministers ‘to correct the injustice done to Telugu People in the Union Budget’. In his emotional speech, he declared, “I am ready for any sacrifice to attain the promises made in Parliament at time of the unruly bifurcation of the United Andhra Pradesh”, and he further warned, “don’t under estimate the Telugu People. They punished and buried the Congress Party”.
He said, “I am Ready for a debate on how much other states got and how much AP got from the centre. I am demanding Prime Minister and Central Ministers at least now to correct the injustice done and do justice to AP. On behalf of 5 crore people of AP, I am demanding the central government to do justice to the state. We went with BJP for the sake of doing justice to the state of AP. I visited Delhi 29 times and met everyone several times for justice. But still justice is not done rightfully. Even in the last budget, they did injustice to AP”, and he argued, “All promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act should be fulfilled. Assurances made in Rajya Sabha must be fulfilled. The centre should handhold AP until it gets on par with other South Indian states in terms of per-capita income”.
At the Budget Preparation meeting held at the Secretariat with the Secretaries and Head of the Departments present, Chief Minister observed, “
“We have not received great support despite assurances and promises from Govt. of India. People are watching and they have proven time and again that they are the ultimate authority. People have seen the bifurcation episode and are seeing what’s happening now. Their sentiments and feelings must go hand in hand with the government”, and he asked all the departments to have new approach in governance.
“Every department needs to have a chalked out strategy to optimize their contribution to GVA and GSDP”, he added.
Talking about the government’s performance till now, the Chief Minister said, "We have achieved power surplus in 2 months. We started the power sector reforms and are ready for 2nd power sector reforms.”
Speaking about the agricultural growth of the state, he said, “Despite 13.5% less rainfall over last year, we have achieved 14% growth last year. In 3 years, our growth average is 11-12% and we are currently aiming for 15 %”
The Chief Minister was particularly appreciative of the e-governance model and said, “E-governance has turned out to be responsive Governance and we are solving both non financial as well as financial grievances at a rapid pace.”
Speaking on the need to have an ecosystem for providing the best results, he said, “All the departments must have a bench mark and proceed accordingly. A lot of departments have achieved targets and others also need to follow. Key Performance Indicators have been established and this has created an eco system. Ownership from departments is very crucial to get the required growth.”
The Chief Minister also stressed on having a PPPP model (Public Private Partnership with People) for sustainable development and as a means of achieving a better and an inclusive growth.
The Chief Minster speaking on the progress the state has made said, “We have reached a consolidation process. We were able to overcome the rainfall crisis in agriculture. This is an example that every obstacle can be overcome.”
“We must focus on achieving 80% satisfaction levels. Mere hard work from you is not enough. The results must be visible too”, he said to the officials present.
Mentioning about the importance of technology for greater governance, the Chief Minister said, “We have got drones, IOT and other technological advancements which will help immensely to the state’s welfare. Implementation of technology to the governance is the way to development. We have struggled for 3 and half years and have created one of the best technological platforms.”
“Future is for knowledge and those who have knowledge will dictate terms. Information Technology is a very important platform. We are moving in the correct direction and for sustainable development, we as departments must go digital.”, he added.
The budget meetings will start in the first week of March and after the Governor’s address on March 5th, budget will be presented on March 8th.