Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today said that the Government is chalking out plans to develop the state on the lines of ‘Silicon Valley’ in the US besides making agriculture a profitable venture for farmers.
Delivering the maiden Independence Day speech at Kurnool (the capital of erstwhile Andhra between 1953 and 1956 before the united Andhra Pradesh came into being), Naidu sent signals to his Telangana counterpart that he is ready to sit and discuss unresolved issues that have cropped up post division.
“The state will be developed like Silicon Corridor with respect to IT industry. Every district of the state will have a city like Hyderabad or Cyberabad (IT district of Hyderabad) in the next five years. As many as five lakh jobs will be created in the IT industry,” Naidu said.
Narrating the issues that need to be tackled for the development, he said the sole aim of his government would be to turn agriculture into a profitable venture.
He said 24/7 power supply will be provided to all sectors from October 2 and the entire state will be connected with gas pipeline to supply natural gas.
Brand promotion
Inviting his Telangana counterpart for a dialogue, Naidu said the ‘brand image’ that was created for Hyderabad should not be ‘spoiled’ and the brand promotion of the city is everybody’s responsibility.
“All the Telugu people together developed the (undivided) state. We (both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Governments) should sit together and sort out our issues. We are ready to sit and we need to cooperate with each other. We should not spread hatred among Telugu people,” Naidu said.
He said there are other forums available if the consensus is not arrived between the two states on any issue.
He reiterated that the Government is committed for the welfare of farming community and self-help groups of the state.
Finding fault with the manner in the state was bifurcated, Naidu said he was pained by the procedures followed for the division and sought people’s co-operation for leading the state towards development.
Development schemes
The Chief Minister announced various development schemes for Kurnool district, including an industrial city spread in 30,000 acres, besides an airport and a premier engineering educational institution like IIIT.
The CM also promised that Kurnool city will be developed aiming to keep it on the top of the ‘100 smart cities’ announced by the Central Government.
Earlier, Naidu unfurled the national flag and inspected a ceremonial parade marking the Independence Day here at a ground belonging to Andhra Pradesh Special Police.