Andhra Pradesh govt turned hurdles into opportunities: Governor ESL Narasimhan

Vijayawada: Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan said the state government had converted hurdles into opportunities after bifurcation. It has overcome the obstacles in the AP Reorganisation Act along with Budget-related issues and lack of infrastructure.

Addressing the joint session of the AP legislature in the new Assembly building at Velagapudi in Amaravati, Mr Narasimhan said 11.06 am of the day would remain a golden moment in the history of AP, referring to time the legislature began functioning from the capital of the state.

The Governor said Samaja Vikasam-Kutumba Vikasam was the motto of the government to make the state number one in the country by 2022.

Listing out the achievements of the government in the two-and-a-half years after bifurcation, the Governor said state was progressing towards ach-ieving double-digit growth.

The Governor noted that AP contributed 70 per cent in the country’s aqua sector and formed 45 per cent of the entire food sector providing employment to 14.5 lakh people. AP would be developed into an aqua hub, he said.

The government was striving to develop a conducive atmosphere to at-tract investments in food processing, textiles, electronics hardware, automobiles, aerospace, defe-nce, tourism and other sectors not only to enco-urage upcoming entrepr-eneurs but also to attract largescale investments.

An authority for the development of micro, small and medium scale enterprises will be established. The MSME Authority will support MSME units in monitory terms to revive them.

Tirupati, Srisailam, Srikalahasti, Mahanandi, Simhachalam, Annavaram and Vijayawada with their temples and Kadapa with the dargah would be developed as a spiritual conduit.

AP e-Knowledge Exchange will be established to develop the state into a knowledge hub through implementation of digital classroom, biometric attendance system and containing dropouts rate in schools.

The government’s functioning will be based on seven missions, five grids and five channels of campaigns. Polavaram project will be completed by 2019 and from 2018 water would be released through gravity.

The treasure benches and the Opposition parties were full. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, ministers and Leader of Opposition Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy keenly listened to the Governor.

The Assembly was adjourned immediately after the address.