VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has said the NDA government presented a better budget under the existing circumstances, much better ones will be introduced in the coming years.
In an informal interaction with mediapersons in the lobby of the Assembly on Saturday, the Chief Minister observed that recovering from the destruction caused by the previous YSRCP regime will take more time, and now the State is getting back on track.
“Though low revenue and high expenditure are a legacy we inherited, we are managing the situation with the cooperation from the Union government,” he said, and underscored the need for generating higher income from agriculture and also increasing revenue from the services sector.
The Chief Minister said the coalition government has transformed the face of Rayalaseema with the allocation of Rs 30,000 crore in the present budget to develop the region as a horticulture hub.
“There were instances like lack of even drinking water for cattle, and also transporting fodder and water through trains to feed cattle in Rayalaseema in the past. Under such circumstances, we have made sincere efforts and supplied adequate water to the parched regions through the Handri - Neeva project. This transformed Rayalaseema into an horticultural hub. Today, fruits from Rayalaseema are among the best in the country. Pomegranates grown there have a strong demand,” Naidu highlighted.
Mentioning that Amaravati capital city will take shape in three years, he said steps have been taken to connect Amaravati’s roads to national highways. With increased connectivity, traffic to Amaravati will increase, and so will revenues, he said. While the Western Bypass has already improved access to Amaravati, the capital city will have more accessibility after the completion of the Inner Ring Road and Outer Ring Road, Naidu said.
Citing the development of Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad, he said “At one time, if you crossed Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad, everything beyond looked like forest land. In 1982, NTR told me he would build me a house on the plot where Balakrishna now lives in Jubilee Hills. When I went to see the site, it was entirely forest-like. Since even autos wouldn’t come there, I gently advised NTR not to go ahead.
Later, a house was built there for Balakrishna and handed over to him. Within just four years, the situation there changed dramatically. While Balakrishna was busy as a film hero, and living in Chennai, I lived in that house for four years. After completion of my own house nearby in Jubilee Hills, I shifted there. Similar significant transformation will happen in the development of Amaravati as well.”
Revealing that the report given to the MLAs in sealed covers reflects their performance, the TDP supremo said he remains as straightforward as he was in the past.
“If they (MLAs) do not change, it will be their loss. I am providing them with reports based on surveys conducted across nine parameters. There are a few additional parameters that only I am aware of. Lokesh is doing his work, and I am doing mine. Leaders should maintain humane relationship and motivation. There should be a sense of both respect and discipline. Lokesh is effectively branding Mangalagiri sarees,” he said.