Independence Day: YS Jagan highlights welfare schemes of his Government

VIJAYAWADA: Obstructing distribution of land to weaker sections, slapping Telugu medium on poor children and neglecting government schools are all the new forms of untouchability practiced by the feudalistic political parties, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said addressing the 77th Independence Day celebrations at the Indira Gandhi Municipal Stadium in Vijayawada on August 15, 2023.

The Chief Minister hoisted the national flag and reviewed the parade before addressing the gathering. He highlighted 10 achievements in seven different sectors - agriculture, education, healthcare, irrigation, women empowerment, weaker section development, and industrial growth.

He said that his government during the past four years had been addressing these new forms of untouchability perpetrated by certain political outfits. “This kind of untouchability is not physical and can’t be seen with your eyes. Filing cases against the distribution of land to the poor, farmers dying in queue lines for fertilisers, and depriving the poor of receiving treatment in hospitals, is also a form of untouchability and my Government will continue fighting against all forms of injustice meted out against the poor in the State,” he said.

He said that 68 percent of the ministers in his cabinet were from weaker sections and four out of five Deputy Chief Ministers were from deprived classes. “Nowhere else in the country, 50 percent of the seats in temple committees and market committees are filled by members from weaker sections,” he said.

Polavaram by 2025 June

The Chief Minister said that his Government has speeded up the work of several projects in the State such as Polavaram. “The Polvaram project was mismanaged by the earlier Government. We will complete the project by June 2025 and dedicate the project to the nation. Similarly, tunnel -1 of the Veligonda project is completed and works on the second one are in progress,” he said. He said that AP Government completed the construction of the Nellore, Sangam and Avuku projects.

Manifesto is supremo

YS Jagan said that the State Government considered the manifesto as a holy book and implemented 98.5 percent of the promises made before the elections. He said that 45,000 government schools were either reconstructed or refurbished to provide best-in-class facilities for the children belonging to the weaker sections. He said that Andhra Pradesh Government also integrated all the schools with advanced learning techniques and tools.

To provide improved medical services to all, he said that the Government undertook the construction of 17 more medical colleges in addition to the existing 11 colleges and filled up 53,126 posts in the department. Elaborating on the steps initiated to augment farmers’ income, he said that the Government had revived the Chittoor dairy and undertook a comprehensive land survey to put an end to land-related disputes.

Elaborating on industrial development in the State, he said that 127 new large-scale industries were established during the past four years and the State attracted investment of around Rs 67,196 crore. “More than 2,00,995 medium and small-scale units set shop in AP and Rs 13,42,000 crore worth MoUs were signed during the global investor's summit,” YS Jagan said.

He said that the State stood at the top among other States in the ease of doing business category for three years in a row. He informed that his Government filled 2,06,638 permanent posts, and benefitted beneficiaries under different schemes through direct transfer of Rs 2.31 lakh crore. On the infrastructure front, he said that work at green field airport at Bhogapuram picked up momentum and construction of four ports in the State would change the maritime landscape of the State.