VIJAYAWADA: Nara Lokesh, Minister for Human Resources, IT, Electronics and Real Time Governance, thanked Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for allocating the key portfolio by placing his trust on him.
Taking to social media platform X after the allocation of portfolios to the ministers on Friday, Lokesh said, “I am confident that my earlier experience as PR&RD minister will come to best use as I begin my journey to take livelihood education to the rural pockets of the State, skilling our youth to embrace jobs in emerging industries. I will restart from where I left in 2019 to attract IT and electronic companies and generate jobs for our youth, who have been forced to migrate out of the State. This time, AP will give fierce competition to other States, and grab every opportunity to deliver on our promise of 20 lakh jobs in 5 years.”
Recalling the promise that he made during his Padayatra that he would bring radical reforms in the education system from KG to PG, Lokesh said as the product of Stanford University he feels that it is his bounden responsibility to strengthen the education system in the rural areas.
Pension hike hailed
Describing Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu as the master of welfare, Lokesh said Naidu had clearly displayed his affection towards the poor by revising pensions.
With a single signature, the Chief Minister had increased the pension of the aged persons from Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000, from Rs 3,000 to Rs 6,000 to persons with disabilities and to those who are suffering from various kinds of serious ailments from Rs 5,000 to Rs 15,000. Also, the kidney patients’ pension too was revised from Rs 5,000 per to Rs 10,000, Lokesh said. “This is exactly what welfare means and this is how one should show one’s affection towards the poor. The previous government has taken five long years to increase the pension by a mere Rs 1,000,” he said.