AP CM Naidu moots agri school on the lines of ISB

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday proposed to set up a School of Agriculture on the lines of Indian School of Business (ISB).

Speaking at the 6th District Collectors' Conference here at the Secretariat, the Chief Minister said the proposed Indian School of Agriculture will be a deemed university to deal with all the issues of the agricultural sector and to render AI based agritech services to benefit farmers. He said more attention should be paid to provide water security.

Naidu during his interaction with the participants asked the Collectors to focus more on farmers welfare by paying special attention. He said the School of Agriculture should deal with all the issues related to the agricultural sector and announced water release for Kharif season on May 15 and the house-warming programme of 2.5 lakh houses as Ugadi gift.

At the same time a free bus travel facility for the physically challenged will be introduced in the name of Indra Dhanassu. He said there was an increase in ground water levels across the state which stands at 8.10 meters. He asked the collectors to implement a 90 days programme from April 1 for water conservation including desilting programmes at all water bodies. He said 614 tmc of water is available in all the reservoirs in the State and contended that with the increase in ground water level the State Government can save Rs14,000 crore through power subsidy. He said Veligonda will be completed by July and Polavaram project in 2027.

The Chief Minister said that Andhra Pradesh will be made a land dispute-free State by 2027 and as part of it a special programme will be organised on 9th of every month in all the districts. He said the land records will be uploaded in portal and block chain technology and QR code will be utilised for pattadar pass books to make them tamper proof.

Referring to the one family-one entrepreneur norm, the Chief Minister said 1.12 lakh women emerged as micro entrepreneurs and a target was set to make 5 lakh women entrepreneurs.

The Chief Minister made it clear that there is no compromise on law and order issue and directed the district collectors to act tough on those violating law and order. Citing the incidents of diarrhoea cases in Srikakulam, adulterated milk deaths in Rajahmundry and firecracker unit mishap in Vetlapalem, the Chief Minister said some people are resorting to violate rules resulting in such incidents. He asked the collectors to make field visits for 8 days and secretaries for 4 days in a month to monitor the ground level situation.

The Chief Minister stressed the need for providing drinking water taps to every house within two years. He said internet facilities should be provided to each house through fibregrid in three years. He advised the collectors to use technology and adopt AI which is a game changer to get better results. He stressed the need for improving digital literacy among people for effective usage of whatsapp governance. He said collectors should focus more on grounding various projects in their respective districts.

Commenting on the war's impact on the State, the Chief Minister said more attention should be paid to the safety of NRIs. Coming to the crisis in the agricultural sector due to the war effect, the Chief Minister said officials should search for alternative markets to protect the interests of farmers.