VIJAYAWADA: Describing Pongal as the festival of farmers, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reiterated his commitment to make agriculture a profitable profession. “The State government is focusing on reducing the farming expenditure, encouraging nature farming and giving priority to agriculture allied sectors.”
Extending Sankranti wishes to people of the state as well as Telugu people settled in other states and abroad, the Chief Minister said his government was distributing “Chandranna Sankranti Kanuka’’ to enable the poor to celebrate Sankranti with joy.
Stating that farmers got `18,000 crore worth crop by taking up cultivation in about 13 lakh acres under Krishna Delta making use of the water released through Pattiseema during the past three years, he said that Andhra Pradesh achieved 20.6 per cent growth rate as against 2.5 per cent in the agriculture sector despite 30 percent and 12.5 percent deficit rainfall for the last two consecutive years.
Expressing happiness over filling of tanks in the drought prone Rayalaseema region with the Krishna river water, he said the government efforts to free the state from the grip of drought were yielding desired results. The Chief Minister reiterated his commitment to linking Krishna, Godavari and Pennar rivers.
Taking serious note of the reports of rift between Endowments Minister P Manikyala Rao and West Godavari ZP Chairman Bapiraju, the Chief Minister appointed a committee to enquire into the issue.
When the TDP leaders took the statements made by the minister and BJP leader Manikyala Rao in Tadepalligudem constituency in retaliation to the remarks made by the ZP Chairman, the Chief Minister expressed ire over Bapiraju and warned him of action for violating the party discipline on several occasions.