NARASAPURAM: The NDA alliance, led by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), will emerge victorious in the State whenever elections are held, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu declared on Tuesday.
Addressing a large gathering during the distribution of NTR Bharosa pensions to the poor at Mogalthur in Narsapuram Assembly constituency, Naidu stated that internal surveys indicate a clear victory for the NDA alliance, sending shockwaves through the main opposition YSRCP.
In a major policy announcement aimed at boosting mobility, the Chief Minister revealed that the government is actively considering free travel for women in APSRTC air-conditioned buses and urged women to utilise the facility for greater economic empowerment.
Hitting out at the YSRCP leadership for opposing consensus-driven local governance, Naidu criticised the Opposition for opposing unanimous elections to Gram Panchayats. He emphasised that consensus-based elections help maintain village peace and accelerate rural development, alleging that the YSRCP was repeatedly approaching courts to delay local body polls out of fear of defeat.
Recalling a personal milestone, Naidu pointed out that September 1 marked exactly 31 years since he first took oath as Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh in 1995. He stated that key reforms initiated over three decades ago continue to drive public participation and administrative efficiency today, with his administration giving equal weightage to welfare, development, and good governance to eradicate poverty.
Outlining major regional infrastructure initiatives, the Chief Minister assured that the government will establish an Aquaculture University in Narsapuram, execute long-pending Delta Modernisation works, and set up a modern dump yard to resolve local environmental issues.
To support local aqua farmers and make their produce competitive in global markets, power will be supplied at a subsidised tariff of `1.50 per unit. On irrigation, he highlighted the delivery of Krishna waters to drought-prone regions via the Veligonda project and reaffirmed plans to divert Godavari water to North Andhra through the Left Canal, aiming to cover Visakhapatnam next year.
Detailing the government’s welfare spend, Naidu stated that `1.50 lakh crore has been spent on welfare over the past two years, including `73,507 crore disbursed solely through pensions. He highlighted key social inclusion measures, including the implementation of SC categorisation, mining reservations for Vadderas and liquor shop reservations for toddy tappers.
On women’s welfare, he noted that one lakh DWCRA members have turned into MSME entrepreneurs — supported by the ‘Swayam’ marketing brand — alongside three free LPG cylinders provided annually under Deepam-2.0.
Union Minister Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma, Deputy Speaker Raghu Ramakrishna Raju and State Ministers Nimmala Ramanaidu and Gottipati Ravi Kumar were present.
CM joins fishers on boat, listens to their concerns
During his visit, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu interacted with local fishermen at the ferry point to assess their livelihoods and welfare. He personally handed over pension benefits to fisherman Tirumani Swamy and enquired about the living conditions of local families, with community members expressing gratitude for the Rs 20,000 annual fishing ban financial assistance. Naidu highlighted the recent joint operations by the Coast Guard, Navy and Central marine agencies that safely rescued local fishermen missing for nearly 20 days.
