The Hindu Business Line : AP to showcase development blueprint at Congress plenary

A BLUEPRINT of the development model adopted by the Andhra Pradesh Government will be presented to the Congress chief ministers at the plenary session of the party slated to be held in October.

In the wake of All-India Congress Committee selecting to host the Congress Plenary in Hyderabad, a suggestion to present the model was made by the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajashekhara Reddy, here on Sunday.

In 1992, the Congress met at Tirupati, which was the last meeting in the State.

The objective of this exercise is to showcase some of the pioneering efforts made by the State and also seek views on some of the projects the State Government had initiated after returning to power last year.

The Government is open to suggestions by other States.

At a meeting of the party leaders here today, the Chief Minister observed that Andhra Pradesh has shown to the country that governments can achieve progress even while lending a helping hand to such sections as farmers by way of subsidies, which is necessary considering that India is basically an agrarian economy and that overall development will not be possible without the rural sector being adequately supported.

Accordingly, the State plans to identify irrigation sector as a priority area wherein over 30 major and medium projects pending since long have been taken up.

These projects would effectively bring about 70-lakh acres under cultivation.

The effort is to show how the Government has initiated this ambitious project and the resource mobilisation drive.

The other key area of focus is the issue of providing free power to farmers, which is being provided for the last 14 months.

Welfare measures in the case of self-help groups, housing schemes for the poor and land distribution programme that envisages providing two-lakh acres, and the Rs 1,350-crore World Bank-assisted Municipal Urban Services Project, would be highlighted.

Referring to the IT policy, the Government plans to highlight the strides made by the sector in achieving Rs 8,000-plus crore in exports during the last fiscal and steps to further strengthen the sector. Other novel programmes conceptualised by the State, such as Nagara Bata, Palle Bata, that seek to take Chief Minister to their local areas and doorstep, would be highlighted.

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