2 days ago
A tightrope walk as debt burden weighs
Vijayawada: It has been a tightrope walk for the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led National Democratic Alliance government in Andhra Pradesh, which is completing one year in office on Thursday (today), and its Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu. Though the government under the leadership of Naidu initiated a slew of measures to boost economic growth and implemented welfare schemes, it had to work against all odds given the debt burden that weighed on the State.
Naidu, who assumed charge as of AP Chief Minister for the fourth time on June 12, 2024, frequently said he started off with a millstone around his neck. He pointed out that the previous government had pushed the state back by 30 years, burdening it with Rs 10 lakh crore in debts and another Rs 1.2 lakh crore in unpaid bills. 'The annual interest alone stands at Rs 40,000 crore,' he remarked when the NDA government assumed office.
Looking back, the Chief Minister said recently: 'Brick by brick, we are rebuilding the devastated state and in just one year, we have shown what good governance looks like by giving priority to both welfare and development.'
Minister for Information and Public Relations K Parthasarathi told Hans India that the one-year period of the NDA government focused on both welfare and development. He said both Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and IT Minister Nara Lokesh aimed at wealth creation and uplift of the poor, simultaneously implementing welfare schemes. He said the coalition government had laid a solid foundation for the benefit of future generations.
To begin with, the NDA government enhanced the old age pension to Rs 4,000 per month. Apart from that, it has been distributing pension amounts of Rs 6,000, Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000 to various categories of people including physically challenged. The state government is spending a whopping Rs 33,000 crore a year on pensions to 64 lakh people. No other state government pays such high pension amounts in the country.
In addition, under Deepam 2, the NDA government is giving three free LPG cylinders per year to women.
Besides, the state government revived 73 central schemes, though the previous government had diverted central funds, resulting in AP being blacklisted.
The NDA government is now planning to provide free solar rooftops to 20 lakh SC/ST houses under PM Surya Ghar Yojana. Upon taking office, the NDA govt repealed the Land Titling Act that had removed protection for people's lands and introduced a new Anti-Land Grabbing Act.
With the Centre's support, the state government put the much-awaited Polavaram Project back on track. The project will now be completed by December 2027.
