VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday directed Collectors to focus on creating a maximum number of jobs in their respective districts. Speaking on day two of the Second Collectors’ Conference, he emphasised that employment generation should be the primary metric of success as the TDP-led NDA government aims to create 20 lakh jobs in five years.
Instructing bureaucrats to concentrate on the number of investments coming into a particular district and the jobs created through them, Naidu asked them to submit details on the same in the next meeting.
Stressing the need for improving the speed of doing business, the Chief Minister pointed out that some districts, particularly Chittoor and Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR), are not showing “sufficient interest” in conducting meetings needed to attract investments.
Announcing that the government will establish an IT park in 200 acres of land in Visakhapatnam, Naidu stated that another IT park will come up at Mangalagiri near Amaravati and instructed officials to identify a land parcel of 200 acres. Further, he said an electronic manufacturing cluster will be set up at Kopparthi in YSR district.
Engage ryots as ‘partners’ during land acquisition for projects: CM
He also asked the District Collector to identify 500 acres of land for an electronics manufacturing cluster in Tirupati.
Naidu instructed officials not to delay the process of issuing permissions as that might lead to companies setting up their units in other States.
Further, he claimed that industrialists chose to set up their units in other States instead of Andhra Pradesh as they were threatened by the previous YSRCP regime. “We are slowly but steadily bringing the system back on track and providing a friendly atmosphere for investors in the State,” the Chief Minister noted and emphasised the crucial role District Collectors play in this regard. Naidu urged officials to engage farmers as ‘partners’ when acquiring land for industrial projects.
“Land could be pooled for Arcelor Mittal Steel City or the upcoming Ramayapatnam BPCL project. Farmers should be partners in the process,” he told officials.
He pointed out that Arcelor Mittal has requested for the supply of iron ore in slurry form as they have a pipeline. “I have been speaking to NMDC (National Mineral Development Corporation) officials and Union Minister of Heavy Industries Kumaraswamy,” he said.
Special focus on Amaravati, Visakhapatnam & Tirupati
Describing Amaravati as the people’s capital, the Chief Minister said the city will generate jobs for the youth in the coming days. Asserting that the government will strive towards the development of Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, and Amaravati, he promised that the capital city will have knowledge economy universities, besides the top ten universities and hospitals in the world.
He also directed the District Collectors and senior officials to monitor the skill development training programme and implement ‘One Family - One Entrepreneur’ policy. Noting that DWCRA (Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas) beneficiaries were confining themselves to savings and maintaining small-scale businesses, he instructed officials to take steps towards promoting them as entrepreneurs.
Crime rate down, people’s trust in police up: Naidu
Taking stock of law and order in the State and other issues related to policing and crime control, the Chief Minister emphasised on protecting women and children, and strict monitoring of drug peddling to prevent youth from becoming addicts. He stated that efforts in the last six months have resulted in a drop in crime rate. He added that people’s trust in police has also improved.
The Chief Minister advised the police department to adopt smart policing by utilising CCTV cameras, drones, AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System), and AI (Artificial Intelligence). He instructed DGP Dwaraka Tirumala Rao and other senior IPS officers to control the law and order situation in the State within three months. He ordered them to install CCTV cameras at all public places and ensure real-time monitoring, besides controlling cyber crimes and accidents in the State.
Stating that criminals are donning masks of politicians, he told police officers to be wary of such forces.
‘Ensure all eligible persons get pension’
Reviewing social welfare and pensions, the Chief Minister directed the District Collectors to initiate measures to ensure that all eligible persons receive social security pensions while the ineligible ones are deleted from the beneficiaries’ list.
He said physical verification should be conducted utilising technical and hybrid systems to remove ineligible persons. Naidu also stressed that irregularities in the issuance of Sadarem (Software for assessment of disabled for access, rehabilitation and empowerment) certificates should be avoided.
District Collectors should examine whether the doctors who are issuing Sadaram certificates are strictly following the guidelines of the medical board or not. If any doctor is found violating the norms while issuing such certificates, action should be taken against such doctors, Naidu added.