The district is making great strides and plans were being drawn to implement more programmes, Collector Lav Agarwal said while delivering his speech at the State Formation Day celebrations organised by the District Administration at the Collectorate here on Tuesday.
The Government was giving special focus to industrial development and implementation of industries and projects worth Rs. 86,000 crore were in different stages, he said. They included 82 heavy industries, more than 5,000 micro, small and medium industries. An IT Vision document was prepared to develop the IT SEZs at Madhurawada and Gambheeram by 2015 and take the exports to Rs. 7,000 crore. Major IT companies were being invited and about one lakh jobs would be created, Mr. Agarwal said. IT finishing schools and incubation centres were also being established to provide quality manpower for IT sector and improve the employability of locals.
A large sum was being spent on improving the facilities for tourists with the help of State and Central governments to make Visakhapatnam an important tourist spot, he said.
He also explained in detail the various programmes like Rs. 1 per kilo scheme, Rachabanda, farmers and women conventions, Stree Nidhi Bank and Stree Nidhi Bhavanams, farm loans, the Rajiv Yuva Kiranalu, the Indira Jala Prabha, Mahatma Gandhi NREGS, the mid-day meal scheme, the JNNURM, land distribution, implementation of Forest Rights Act, etc. on which huge sums were being spent to improve the lot of people.
Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy is participating in the Rachabanda programme at Yelamanchili on Wednesday, Mr. Agarwal said.
Municipal Commissioner B. Ramanjaneyulu, Joint Collector M. Girijan Shankar, Commissioner of Police J. Purnachandra Rao, Deputy CP Balakrishna, Additional Joint Collector S. Satyanarayana, Assistant Collector D. Harichandana and other district officials participated.
Earlier Mr. Agarwal unfurled the national flag and along with other officials paid floral tributes to a portrait of Potti Sreeramulu.
