Eradicating poverty is my economics, says YS Jagan in AP Assembly

AMARAVATI: In an emotional statement, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Wednesday said that eradication of poverty is his objective. Addressing the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly, he said that his journey was with the poor while the opposition indulged in hollow rhetoric.

“The opposition talks about things like Microsoft, Bill Gates and the bullet train. But I remain grounded. My journey is with the common man, my journey is with the poor. My fight is against those who rob the poor. My goal is to eradicate poverty,” he said while listing out his Government’s accomplishments in the last four years.

“A society can become strong only if poor families are made financially strong. The state will prosper only if all the regions and all groups are strengthened. This is the principle I believe in. This is my economics, this is my politics. And this is also the history which I have learnt from my father,” he commented.

Progress in State is tangible

Reiterating that the rural landscape had undergone a big, tangible change, the Chief Minister said that the State stood as a role model in the country with a fine balance between welfare and development.

The Chief Minister, in the motion of thanks to the Governor's speech, told the State Assembly on Wednesday that the revolutionary Jagan mark of changes from village to towns were there to be seen in every nook and corner in the form of village and ward secretariats, English medium schools, RBKs, village health clinics among others.

The TDP rule had hoodwinked all sections of people by showing graphics and talking of bullet trains, he said, adding that he would however continue to walk on the ground only journeying with the poor, and weaker sections rendering social and political justice to SCs, STs, BCs and Minorities.

“Agriculture is as important to me as industry. Petty traders are also as valuable as the IT. So are the pensioners, as important as the Government employees,” he said.

Describing his governance as women-centric, he said that Andhra Pradesh was the only state in the country which was striving hard for the empowerment of the women and uplift of weaker sections. He said that YSRCP was the only party which restricted politics to elections while implementing welfare schemes with transparency to all people irrespective of caste, creed and religion.

The nearly four-year rule of YSRCP has brought credibility to governance by bringing in revolutionary changes in every respect. He said that the 13 Districts and 51 Revenue districts during the TDP rule went up to 26 and 76 respectively now as part of the efforts of the decentralization for the equal development of all regions.

“While there was only one surveyor for each Mandal in the TDP rule, 10,185 surveyors are working now at village and ward secretariats undertaking comprehensive survey of lands after 100 years,” he observed, adding that 17 new medical colleges were under construction after YSRCP came to power as against the 11 medical colleges during the TDP rule.

YSR Village Clinics manned by community health officers storing 105 sorts of medicines and equipped with labs to conduct 14 types of diagnostic tests was one of the changes that the rural health sector witnessed after the YSRCP came to power, he said. He added that while the TDP rule never looked at the dilapidated Government schools, they are on their way to outsmart corporate schools now with digital classrooms.

YS Jagan also spoke of 15,004 village and ward secretariats coupled with 10,778 Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs) and said that extending more than 600 civic services was the major change witnessed after the YSRCP came to power. In an unprecedented manner, 2,65,000 volunteers are extending services to the people across the State with each volunteer working for 50 houses, he added.

The Chief Minister said that the number of Government jobs went up to more than six lakhs from four lakhs in TDP rule while 1,56,000 new MSMEs were created after YSRCP came to power as against the 1,10,000 MSMEs which existed during the TDP rule.

With the implementation of a plethora of welfare schemes resulting in 11.28 per cent growth rate in the State, Andhra Pradesh provides a perfect example for the economists to carry out a research, said the Chief Minister.