VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu distributed house pattas with full ownership rights to 26,401 families under the Pedalaku Pattabhishekam programme at the Makineni Basava Punnaiah Stadium in Vijayawada on Wednesday.
The land being distributed in Vijayawada alone is valued at Rs 28,112 crore spread across 707 acres. The value of individual plots ranges from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 2 crore.
Later addressing a public meeting, he said the NDA government had already granted land ownership rights to 28,000 families in Vizag, and 5,800 families in Mangalagiri. Moved by the hardships faced by poor families for decades, the State government took the decision to grant them ownership rights over their sites, and congratulated public representatives and officials who worked hard to ensure that poor families in NTR and Krishna districts get pattas.
Naidu alleged that some vested groups were spreading misinformation through social media platforms. “If beneficiaries themselves share their experiences, the truth about the government’s welfare and development programmes will reach a much wider audience,” he said.
“Our priorities are welfare, development and wealth creation, and we are implementing various programmes to ensure that these continue uninterrupted. We have already spent Rs 1.50 lakh crore on development works,” he highlighted.
Referring to land reforms and development initiatives, he alleged that the previous regime had created property disputes among households between 2019 and 2024.
Images of political leaders were printed on pattadar passbooks, and the Land Titling Act created difficulties for people, he mentioned.
490 TMC Godavari water brought to Krishna delta from Pattiseema: CM
Around Rs 800 crore was spent on printing images on survey stones. Had that money been used for welfare programmes, it could have benefited the poor, he said.
“The previous government obstructed the Pattiseema project, but we completed it with determination. About 490 TMC of Godavari water has so far been brought through the project.
Due to the impact of El Niño, there are inadequate inflows into the Krishna river. We have brought water through Pattiseema, and supplied it to the Krishna delta, ensuring that Vijayawada does not face water shortage,” Naidu said.
This year, around 1,400 TMC of Godavari water has flowed into the sea so far.
“If we can divert even 100 TMC of this water for productive use, the entire region can prosper, he said.
“We will complete the Polavaram project by next year, and make water available through gravity flow.
The water conserved in the Krishna delta will be diverted to Rayalaseema. Our objective is to provide drinking and irrigation water to every region,” he averred.
He observed that if the Godavari-Cauvery river-linking project is implemented, water scarcity can be addressed across Southern India. “We will complete 36 projects at a cost of Rs 35,000 crore over the next three years.
By Krishna Pushkarams in 2028 , we aim to ensure abundant availability of Krishna and Godavari waters,” the Chief Minister said.
According to a report released by the Union Ministry of Statistics on women’s workforce participation, Visakhapatnam ranks first, with 42 women employed for every 100 people, Chandrababu Naidu stated.
In Vijayawada, the figure stands at 37 women for every 100 people. Women account for 30 per cent of entrepreneurs, he highlighted.
