GUNTUR: The rich history and heritage of Bapatla found a new voice this Independence Day with the launch of the ‘Bapatla District Anthem.”
State Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar and Collector J Venkata Murali unveiled the anthem at celebrations held at Bapatla Women’s Engineering College on Friday. Written by Nandiraj Vijay Kumar, composed by J Nagapoornna and Ramadevi, and sung by a local ensemble, the anthem was selected through a district-wide contest.
Earlier, the Minister hoisted the Tricolour, conveyed 79th Independence Day greetings, received a ceremonial guard of honour from the police, and paid tributes to freedom fighters. Addressing the gathering, he outlined major welfare and development measures by the State Government, including the P4 poverty eradication programme, timely distribution of 65 lakh social security pensions on the first of every month, and investment aid to farmers under the Annadata Sukhibhava scheme. He noted aid for fishermen during the fishing ban period, Rs 490 crore for Nizampatnam harbour expansion, fish farming in Gundlakamma reservoir, and setting up 34 tobacco purchase centres.
He also highlighted initiatives like developing Bapatla Beach as a tourist hub, installing CCTV for crime control, operationalising Gundlakamma project gates to provide irrigation, implementing the Thalliki Vandhanam scheme, rolling out the Deepam scheme statewide, supplying 24×7 quality power, free 9-hour electricity to agricultural pumpsets, subsidised power to aquaculture farmers, free power to SC/ST families, handlooms, and powerlooms, and introducing India’s first Integrated Clean Energy Policy, attracting Rs 4.56 lakh crore investments and advancing Green Hydrogen Valley development.