AP’s holistic growth review at Niti Aayog meeting

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy at the 8th Governing Council meeting of Niti Aayog in New Delhi explained the progress achieved by the State over the last four years of the YSRCP regime and elaborated on the current growth trajectory across various sectors.

Reddy highlighted the massive response received during the Global Investors Summit 2023 that was held in Visakhapatnam in March this year. He said “various organisations and companies have come forward to invest in AP and we have received an investment worth Rs 13 lakh crore to generate employment opportunities for six lakh people.”

According to a release issued by YSRCP, the Chief Minister also highlighted the need for a conducive business environment with investments playing an essential role to achieve growth in the manufacturing and service sectors. “AP has ranked first in the country for the last three consecutive years in Ease of Doing Business. Further, we have simplified the procedures including permits to make it more business-friendly. We have amended and repealed obsolete legal provisions as well,” he mentioned.

Emphasising the need to invest in human capital by introducing reforms in education and healthcare, he elaborated on “the State’s proactive approach in curbing various health conditions at the grassroots level. The Chief Minister said the Government of AP has set up 10,592 village and ward clinics, where one mid-level health officer and one ANM, and Asha workers are available. Each village and ward clinic has 105 types of essential medicines and 14 types of diagnostics available for the people.”

Reddy said “during the last two-and-a-half years, we have recruited 48,639 doctors and health personnel in the State, ensuring the required number of doctors, nurses, and paramedics from village clinics to hospitals. We also launched a Family Doctor Programme where doctors from PHCs visit their designated village at least twice a month and treat the people. Our government is foresighted and prevents health complications by effective screening, detection, diagnosis, tracking, and treatment,” the Chief Minister added.

While speaking on the goal of inclusive growth, he expressed that women empowerment was a crucial aspect to witness holistic socio-economic development. He then listed the revolutionary measures taken during his tenure to enhance economic resources and opportunities for women.

He said “the State Government is implementing many schemes like Cheyutha and Asara, under which we provide financial assistance to the women belonging to backward and economically disadvantaged groups on a fixed basis. We have been strengthening the backbone of every household for the past 4 years and will continue to uplift women.”

“The role of government does not end with just putting money in the hands of women. The government needs to recognise that women have limited capacity to invest, therefore continue to empower them by adopting a progressive approach to getting marketing linkages for their products,” he added.

Furthermore, the Chief Minister said that the YSRCP Government is giving the utmost priority to port-based development with four greenfield ports and 10 fishing harbours being established in the State.