NELLORE: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday announced that the State government will construct an additional 4.5 lakh houses for the poor by December this year, as part of its ambitious housing programme.
Participating in a housewarming ceremony at Naidupeta in Tirupati district, the Chief Minister handed over houses to beneficiaries under TIDCO and PMAY schemes. Across Andhra Pradesh, a total of 2,50,983 houses built at more than 30 locations were distributed, including 15,659 units in Tirupati district alone.
Naidu inspected G+3 housing complexes equipped with modern amenities such as parks, walking tracks, wide roads, anganwadi centres, and schools.
He also joined beneficiaries in housewarming rituals, participated in religious ceremonies, and interacted with families, even installing nameplates outside some houses.
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Criticising the previous government, Naidu alleged financial mismanagement and poor planning in housing schemes. He claimed that funds meant for housing were misused and that houses were sanctioned in uninhabitable areas, including low-lying and unsuitable lands.
Describing March as a ‘landmark month for welfare,’ he listed several initiatives undertaken by the government, including financial aid to farmers, women empowerment programmes, job calendar announcements, and major industrial investments.
Naidu said the government is focused on maintaining a balance between welfare and development while ensuring transparency and efficient governance.
He also announced that surprise inspections would be conducted from April to monitor implementation of schemes and public service delivery. Setting a target of making Andhra Pradesh a state with no homeless poor by 2029, the Chief Minister noted that over 8.19 lakh houses were constructed between 2014 and 2019.
He added that 3 lakh houses witnessed housewarming ceremonies in the past year, with another 2.5 lakh now completed. He further alleged that the previous government had weakened governance systems and failed the poor, constructing only 6.5 lakh houses in five years. In contrast, he said, the current government has completed 5.5 lakh houses in just 21 months and plans to build another 4.5 lakh houses soon.
Naidu also accused the earlier regime of diverting central funds and misusing Rs 174 crore collected from TIDCO beneficiaries.