Naidu to unveil ‘Smart AP’ programme next month

Starting from villages, wards, mandals and districts, the programmes is expected to have a cumulative effect at the State level

Taking a cue from the Smart Cities concept, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu wants to develop every village and ward into smart places and transform the State into ‘Smart Andhra Pradesh’.

Mr. Naidu will be unveiling his ‘Smart Andhra Pradesh’ plan next month, and the concept paper in this regard will be worked out in the coming days, according to Parakala Prabhakar, Advisor (Communications) to the AP Government.

While the Union government has launched a programme for developing 100 Smart Cities across the country, the Chief Minister is equally keen to start initiatives like smart governance, IT-enabled civic services and other features that encompass the Smart Cities programme from the grassroots level, he said.

On the lines of the Sansad Gram Vikas Yojana for each Parliament member, Mr. Naidu would like every legislator to adopt a village under the Smart AP initiative. Each IAS, IPS, Indian Forest Services (IFS) officer will also be involved in adopting a village. Various companies will also be requested to implement similar initiatives under CSR initiatives.

Asked as to from where IAS and IPS officers would get funds, he said they could be leveraged from any source. “We will evolve some criteria (in this regard),” he added.

He said starting from villages, wards, mandals and districts, it would have a cumulative effect at the State level when the initiative gets implemented. “It is going to be a huge movement,” Mr. Prabhakar added. During the Janmabhoomi programme, micro-plans of villages were prepared, and such data will be integrated while developing the Smart State.

Of the five grids the government proposes to establish, optical fibre grid and power grid will be playing a crucial role in making AP a Smart State. The government will also leverage funds from the Centre under the ‘Digital India’ programme. The other three grids relate to water, gas and roads.

The seven missions - primary mission, social empowerment mission, skill and knowledge development mission, service sector mission, industry mission, infrastructure mission and urban development mission - would also be part Smart State initiative.