Collectors’ Conference on May 8, 9

At the two-day Collectors’ Conference held at the Grievance Hall near the Chief Minister’s residence in Undavalli, Special Chief Secretary (CCLA) Anil Chand Punetha presented the opening remarks, appreciating the CM for regularly conducting the Conference. 

Chief Secretary Dinesh Kumar concurred, and said that these conferences have helped measure and make sure consistent progress. “While we have defined our Sustainable Development Goals, Samaja Vikasam, Kutumba Vikasam and our vision statements, these conferences have helped us find focus areas, rectify issues and move closer to achieving our goals”, he said. “The state government has worked relentlessly to provide affordable housing, gas, electricity and work towards the ODF goals.” 

“Malnutrition, anaemia and illiteracy are being tackled successfully by the concerned departments and various social and human development indicators are being monitored. I request all collectors to also guarantee necessary government interventions in the light of recent cases of child abuse, rape and violence”.

Deputy Chief Minister KE Krishnamurthy threw light on the state’s difficult circumstances since the bifurcation. “Hon’ble Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has always proved to be a dynamic leader in the face of unexpected crises, whether administrative or political”, he said. He spoke about various initiatives to resolve disputes related to land, revenue and housing. “There is slow progress in many cases of awarding lands to families of freedom fighters, almost 1,43,316 pending applications for deemed mutations by farmers and people suffering because of plots in the prohibited list under Section 22-A of the Stamps and Registrations Act.”

He also spoke about the Bhuseva initiative, which will bring all land transactions under one umbrella. “This will enable a comprehensive record of land, in which there are 50 lakh urban assets, 8.5 lakh rural holdings and 2.84 crore plots of agricultural land.”

“Government decisions and initiatives will not reap benefits, if implementation is not administered in a timely manner. I urge district collectors to ensure grounding and effective execution of these ideas”, he concluded. 

Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu emphasised on the importance of job creation. “The two main factors that can increase employment are to focus on the Manufacturing and Services sectors. We have signed many MoUs, and the Industries department, EDB and concerned departments must ensure materialisation”, he said. 

He also said that the state is in financial crisis. “Many crores of funds are due from the Centre, including those pending to be released for Polavaram. Nevertheless, our state is consistently showing results in welfare and development.”

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu then launched the official mobile application, NCBN. The app will contain live updates of the CM, links to his social media activity and a way for users to directly interact with him. 

The Chief Minister also released 4 publications by the Planning Department: District-wise Performance Appraisal, Brochure of Green Vision for sustainable inclusive double-digit growth, Report of inventory of greenhouse gases in AP and Calendar of ODF Events by PR&RD Department.

The Chief Minister then addressed the conference. “Just as students wait for results after an examination, these Collectors’ Conferences are just like that for the state government.”

“Andhra Pradesh has overcome a lot of injustice during the bifurcation. When we started out, our resources and infrastructure were insufficient. Our relationship with the Centre continues to remain tense due to unfair behaviour towards our state. 

But we have come far. We have achieved a lot, in spite of our struggles. This has only been possible because of regular and critical reviews, ensuring constant feedback and criticism. Even yesterday, during the Conclave of Finance Ministers to deliberate on the impact of the ToR of the 15th FC, Chief Ministers and Finance Ministers from other states visited us, and were impressed with our achievements. 

The AP State Government will continue efforts to ensure overall development, and at the same time, fight for what is our right. The ToR of the 15th Finance Commission factors in the population data from the 2011 census. This penalises states that have performed well in population control. Similarly, there are many ToR which are extremely unjust to state governments as it opposes the idea of decentralisation. 

In spite of all this, we are not allowing our people to suffer. Our initiatives and programmes have continuously increased public satisfaction levels. No other government works with the feedback given by citizens. 

Our public distribution system has implemented various programmes to guarantee food security, good nutrition levels and overall satisfaction. For example, Sankaranti Kanuka, Ramzan Tofa, Christmans gifts, pensions, rations and insurance under Chandranna Bhima have directly influenced citizen satisfaction. 

Another flagship programme, Chandranna Pelli Kanuka (gift money for brides), is being implemented using high level technology. Employment is being created through the NREGA scheme, and education and health too have seen positive developments in recent times.” He congratulated the Health Department for their initiatives in making the state free of malnutrition and anaemia. 

“Anna canteens will be launched from June 2, LED bulbs are being installed everywhere and monitored real-time online and CC and BT roads connecting Panchayat Headquarters, Mandal Headquarters and District Headquarters. 

From 22.5 million units of power, we are at a power surplus today. Ground water levels are being increased and we have achieved 100% saturation in gas supply. AP Fibre Grid and FibreNet will ensure TV and internet connections to every house. Green cover mapping and ODF progress is being monitored in real-time. 

There has also been significant progress in village infrastructure, to create Panchayat buildings, school buildings, play grounds, burial grounds and other elements. 

Through weekly reviews of Neeru Pragati, we are executing many plans for the irrigation and agriculture departments. Our agriculture sector has grown by 17.74%, while the all India growth rate is only 3%. In spite of rainfall deficits, we are taking up horticulture also in a large scale. We are also focussing on the growth of aquaculture and livestock cultivation, while being cautious of their impact on the environment. 

We have constantly achieved double digit growth rates, the latest being 10.5%. We need to focus on the growth of the service and manufacturing sectors. MSMEs should be corporationised and entrepreneurship must be encouraged. 

I also congratulate the Primary Education department for their work in improving admission rates and attendance levels. I am sure that in the next two years we can be closer to creating a knowledge economy. Through best practises like virtual classrooms, our universities have also been accredited and ranked at better levels. 12% of IIT achievers are from our state, which means our people have a natural inclination to science and mathematics. 

We have also performed well in sports in the last 4 years. Kidambi Srikant, PV Sindhu, Ragala Venkat Rahul and Jyothi Surekha Vennam are only few of the success stories from Andhra Pradesh.

We also have to remind ourselves of our Vision 2020, 2029 and 2050. These are not impossible goals; we have to continue our focus approach. 

Every house must have access to tap water. Every family must earn at least ₹10,000. Around 19 lakh houses are being constructed in rural housing schemes. Drainage, roads and drinking water are high priorities in both rural and urban areas. 

MoUs are bringing in a lot of investments and employment. AP is one of the very few states which is working towards skill development on a large scale. Our scores on the multidimensional poverty index and happiness index also proves that the government is pursuing holistic growth. 

We are constantly keeping track of key performance indicators and creating an environment encouraging debates and discussions. Holistic growth also means to maintain a balance with the environment and change with changing trends. We are working towards convergence of our programmes to enable a happy environment for our citizens. 

I hope that this conference will yield more action points for our District Collectors. A healthy competitive spirit is essential to our progress.”