Governor E. S. L. Narasimhan has expressed confidence that the new capital city of Andhra Pradesh, to be built near Vijayawada, will be a model for the entire country and perhaps one of the best in the world. The government will ensure that the farmland owners become willing partners in the development of the capital and benefit from the enhanced economic opportunities, he said.
Participating in Republic Day celebrations at the Indira Gandhi Municipal Corporation Stadium here on Monday, Mr. Narasimhan said besides entering into an agreement with the Government of Singapore for developing the capital city, the Andhra Pradesh government had embarked on a major programme of transforming Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Tirupati into mega cities and 13 cities into smart cities. It had also drawn roadmaps for targeted economic and industrial development of each district.
Development of the State was essentially going to be port-led as the government gave top priority to the string of seaports dotting the nearly 950-km long coastline. Proximity to countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia gives A.P. an added advantage, he said.
Mr. Narasimhan said the government had made significant progress in its ‘power for all’ mission by bringing the power deficit from about 22 million units to zero in just three months. It envisaged generation of 9,000 MW of solar and wind power and some major thermal and hydro power plants were in advanced stages of construction. He termed the first and second phases of crop loan waiver schemes as defining moments as no other State had taken up loan waiver of such magnitude.
Polavaram
The Governor said the government was keen on completing the Polavaram project by 2018 and it was committed to inter-basin transfer of the Krishna and Godavari rivers. With a plan to saturate micro-irrigation potential in Rayalaseema region, the government aimed at making the State debt-free.
Earlier, Mr. Narasimhan and his wife Vimala were received by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Ministers K.E. Krishna Murthy and N. China Rajappa, Chief Secretary I.Y.R. Krishna Rao, Director General of Police J.V. Ramudu and other dignitaries.
Government will ensure that farmers will be become willing partners in the development process
