PRODDATUR: Marking a major milestone in rural water security, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan unveiled the foundation pylon for the ‘Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 – Amarajeevi Jaladhara’ project at Kothapalli in Proddatur constituency on Monday.
Executed with an outlay of Rs 30,136 crore across 50,315 works, the initiative will extend functional tap connections to 27.36 lakh new rural households. Combined with the stabilisation of 61.60 lakh existing connections out of the State’s 95 lakh rural homes, the drive secures drinking water access for 3.27 crore citizens statewide.
Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu emphasised that drinking water security directly alleviates the daily hardships faced by rural women, saving valuable time.
Naidu announced that under ‘Palle Panduga 3.0’, the coalition government is spending Rs 11,085 crore on rural roads, drains, streetlights, and farm ponds, anchored by a long-term plan to invest Rs 1.30 lakh crore in comprehensive rural infrastructure.
Turning to broader welfare goals, Naidu detailed the state’s target to complete 19 lakh houses by 2029.
Pawan: Jaladhara will add 70-year water infrastructure capacity in 5 years
He noted that issuing permanent land titles has created assets worth Rs 52,000 crore for 60,000 poor families across Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Mangalagiri.
Commending Pawan Kalyan’s drive on rural road connectivity, Naidu highlighted the record-setting accomplishment of holding Gram Sabhas simultaneously across 13,326 villages, which secured over Rs 4,136 crore in 15th Finance Commission grants for ground-level development.
On irrigation, Naidu stated that Rs 24,000 crore was spent over the last two years, promising to launch 36 major projects worth Rs 35,000 crore over the next three years on a strict calendar.
He asserted that the Polavaram Project will be completed before the upcoming Godavari Pushkarams and dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, adding that diverting 200 TMC of Godavari floodwaters will render Rayalaseema permanently drought-free.
He dismissed the YSRCP’s demand for official opposition status, noting that opposition status is earned from the electorate, recalling how the TDP was mocked in 2019 when holding 23 seats.
Calling for electoral backing in upcoming local body polls to establish a seamless “Triple-Engine Government” from the Centre down to local bodies, Naidu asserted that Rayalaseema completely rejects ‘Rappa-Rappa’ factionalism in favour of peace, water, industries, and employment.
Taking the stage next, Deputy Chief Minister K Pawan Kalyan lauded Proddatur as a sacred land graced by Lord Rama and Mahatma Gandhi, and a historic trading hub known as ‘Mini Mumbai’ for textiles and gold.
Drawing a sharp historical comparison, Pawan Kalyan noted that while Andhra Pradesh created 816 MLD in Water Treatment Plants (WTPs), 1,072 Overhead Balance Reservoirs (OHBRs), 28,086 Overhead Storage Reservoirs (OHSRs), and 1.18 lakh km of pipelines between 1953 and 2024, ‘Amarajeevi Jaladhara’ will add 50 to 175 per cent of that cumulative 70-year capacity in just five years.
The new push includes building 1,426 MLD WTPs, 494 OHBRs, 13,075 OHSRs, and 77,243 km of distribution pipelines across 24,601 habitations.
Financial allocations stand at Rs 9,000 crore for 50,283 Single Village Schemes and retrofitting works, Rs 19,500 crore for 32 Multi-Village Schemes.
Pawan Kalyan affirmed that safe drinking water will be delivered without political or regional bias, targeting severe distress zones from chronic kidney disease hotspots like Uddanam and A Konduru to drought-prone belts in Rayalaseema.
He highlighted an allocation of Rs 280 crore to complete the stalled drinking water scheme in Pulivendula, resolving crisis points across 299 villages in seven mandals.
Ministers S Savitha, P Narayana, BC Janardhan Reddy, BJP State president PVN Madhav, alongside legislators and senior officials, were present.
27 lakh homes to get taps
The Rs 30,136-crore initiative, spread across 50,315 works, will provide tap connections to 27.36 lakh additional rural households across Andhra Pradesh
