Live up to people’s expectations despite all hurdles: CM Chandrababu Naidu to officials
VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday set the stage for transformative governance at the Ministers and Secretaries Conference, emphasising the need for efficient leadership, strategic planning, and innovative governance to drive Andhra Pradesh towards its ambitious growth targets for 2047.
In his opening remarks, the Chief Minister said he is facing several challenges because of the total devastation caused by the previous YSRCP regime.
Naidu acknowledged the historic mandate that brought him back to power eight months ago. He mentioned that the people decisively rejected the YSRCP government, and placed high hopes in the current dispensation.
During the previous regime, industrial growth in Andhra Pradesh had completely stagnated. Since the TDP-led coalition government took charge, efforts have been made to achieve better results through the Speed of Doing Business reforms, he said.
The State has set a GSDP growth target of over 16% for the fiscal 2025-26 with major sectors playing a crucial role in achieving it. Agriculture and allied sectors are projected to develop from Rs 5,19,485 crore to Rs 6,02,728 crore, reflecting 16.02% growth rate.
The industrial sector is expected to expand from Rs 3,41,331 crore to Rs 3,99,358 crore, achieving 17% growth rate. Meanwhile, the services sector is set to expand from Rs 6,11,390 crore to Rs 7,10,714 crore, registering 16.25% growth, he said.
Late coming ministers & officials draw CM’s ire
Addressing the State’s challenges, Naidu highlighted the deteriorated morale of officials, defunct departments, and derailed projects. He revealed that nearly 90 Centrally sponsored schemes had become non-functional due to mismanagement, and fund diversions. Now, the NDA government is prioritising the optimal implementation of Centrally sponsored schemes. He called upon the officials to rededicate themselves to the mission of building a prosperous AP.
Swarnandhra Vision 2047
Naidu outlined Swarnandhra Vision 2047, aligning with Viksit Bharat. The vision focuses on achieving a sustained 15% growth rate. He urged the officials to leverage the ‘first mover advantage’ to secure Central funds under the newly announced schemes in the Union Budget.
The Chief Minister highlighted the importance of integrating Artificial Intelligence into governance, like how IT was a game-changer in 1995.
Focus on file clearance
Expressing his dissatisfaction over the slow pace of clearance of files, he directed officials to expedite the process in the e-office system. He instructed secretaries and department heads to find out where files are getting stuck, identify the reasons for delay, and resolve them promptly. Of the two types of financial and non-financial financial files, the latter one should not be left pending.
For financial files, he advised the officials to review budget-related matters within their respective departments, and ensure swift clearance. There should be no pending files with anyone by the end of February, he stressed.
Arrival of more grievances reflects that the department concerned is not functioning properly. A large number of complaints are related to the Revenue Department because of the mistakes committed during the previous regime.
“Satisfaction levels of people will increase if we run the administration as per their aspirations. Every IAS officer should make field visits and guidelines to this effect will be issued soon,” he said.
The P4 programme will be launched on Ugadi day. The Happy Sunday event will also be resumed. “We are witnessing good results in several departments because of hard work,” he said.
WhatsApp Governance
The Chief Minister directed the officials to make all government services accessible through WhatsApp so that people no longer need to visit government offices. He emphasised that all departments should strengthen their back end mechanism accordingly. He instructed them to increase the number of services available via WhatsApp.
Currently, 161 services are being provided, and he urged the officials to explore the possibility of expanding them to 500 services within the next 45 days.
Additionally, within the next three to six months, the entire government service system should be available to the public via WhatsApp, he said.
TTD services
Naidu announced that the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) services will also be integrated into WhatsApp Governance. Moreover, he said if necessary, discussions will be held with the Centre to facilitate railway ticket booking via WhatsApp. The possibility of enabling movie ticket booking through WhatsApp will also be explored. Beyond services, the government aims to use WhatsApp Governance to gather public feedback, he said.
Massive response
The WhatsApp Governance initiative has received an overwhelming response from the public. Within just one week (since February 4), a total of 2,64,555 transactions were recorded. In just one week, the government departments and agencies collected Rs 54.73 lakh through WhatsApp transactions. The Education Department saw the highest number of 82,938 transactions.
Pothole-free roads
The Chief Minister directed the officials to ensure that no pothole-ridden roads exist anywhere in the State. Naidu said his government has significantly improved road infrastructure, making them more visually appealing. However, he stressed that the progress should not stop here.
Naidu fumes at officials
After observing that some Ministers and officials arriving late to the meeting, Naidu expressed his ire at them for lacking punctuality. In fact, Naidu arrived at the meeting hall five minutes before, and was forced to wait for 10 minutes as some Ministers and officials had not yet reached the venue.
Cautioning that such violations will not be tolerated henceforth, Naidu ‘snubbed’ some Ministers and officials for lacking time sense.
Targets and priorities
Achieving $42,000 per capita income by 2047 and transforming Andhra Pradesh into $2.4 trillion economy by 2047 are the growth targets.
Taking Godavari water from Polavaram to Banakacherla is our first priority, said Naidu. Pending dues to the tune of Rs 22,507 crore were cleared by the government. Construction of five lakh houses in the State should be completed by June, 2026, he added.