Naidu Inaugurates ₹11,085 Crore Works, Calls NDA Government 'Double-Engine' for Development

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday inaugurated development works worth ₹11,085 crore under the 'Palle Panduga-3.0' programme at Ramapuram in Varikuntapadu mandal of SPSR Nellore district, and used the occasion to restate the NDA government's focus on welfare, development and good governance.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Naidu said public representatives and Ministers were not landlords but servants of the people. He described the Palle Panduga initiative as the starting point for village-level development, pointing to the laying of CC roads in front of every house as a step towards smoother transport and easier travel.

According to the Chief Minister, development works worth ₹50,000 crore have been launched in urban areas, while villages are also seeing large-scale activity. He said the government's aim was to strengthen the rural economy and ensure that progress was visible on the ground.

Mr. Naidu said mini Gokulams (cattle sheds) and magic drains were being built, and that efforts were on to provide every family with a house, a housing site, electricity and solar panels. He said villages must lead the way to a clean and prosperous State, and that the government was working to create wealth from waste, turn villages into poverty-free zones and reduce economic inequalities.

Praise for Pawan Kalyan

The Chief Minister credited Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan's leadership for the success of three Palle Panduga programmes, which he said were carried out with a spirit of dedicated activism. He noted that the initiatives were launched alongside Gram Sabhas held simultaneously in 13,326 villages across the State.

Mr. Naidu said 10,000 employees across various ranks in the Panchayat Raj system had received promotions after two and a half decades, and that ₹4,136 crore had been released from 15th Finance Commission funds. He added that the Panchayat Raj Department had won 13 national awards under Mr. Pawan Kalyan's leadership.

Describing the arrangement as a "double-engine government," he said it was accelerating development and moving forward at jet speed, with welfare, development and good governance as its mantras. He said the government was helping women become entrepreneurs and was developing a milk brand comparable to Amul.

Water, housing and El Niño

Mr. Naidu said steps were being taken to address drinking water problems and to protect horticultural crops amid the continuing impact of El Niño. On housing, he said pattas had been distributed to more than 28,000 families in Visakhapatnam, with another 24,000 people in Vijayawada to receive them. Foundation stones for three lakh houses would be laid soon, he said.

Dagadarthi airport and regional growth

The Chief Minister announced plans to develop the Dagadarthi airport, located between the Krishnapatnam and Ramayapatnam ports. He said rail and road connectivity would be improved to turn Nellore and Prakasam districts into a logistics hub, and that investments worth ₹1 lakh crore were expected through a BPCL plant. Defence industries were also coming to the region, he added.

Mr. Naidu urged people from the Nellore and Udayagiri regions who had settled elsewhere to return and take part in local development. He said it was the government's duty to bring light into people's lives, and the people's duty to stand by the government.