CM pegs growth rate at 10%

Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Sunday told the National Development Council (NDC) that Andhra Pradesh was hopeful of achieving 10 per cent growth rate during the 12th Plan period starting next year.

Sectorally, the growth targets for the five-year period would be 6 per cent for agriculture, 10.5 for industry, and 11.5 per cent for services, he said addressing the NDC meeting in Delhi on Saturday. AP stands first in the country in meat and egg production and it targets to grow at a rate of 9 per cent annually. The state accounts for 40 per cent of Indian fishery exports and the sector contributes 2.58 per cent to GSDP.

The chief minister informed that the state government had taken up 86 major and medium irrigation projects with an outlay of Rs 1.86 lakh crore to create new ayacut besides stabilising the existing command area apart from modernisation and flood control works under the existing projects. He also explained his government’s initiatives on the welfare front, including the newly launched Stree Nidhi women’s micro credit cooperative, skill development centres, Rs 1-a kg rice scheme among others.

He appealed to the Prime Minister that the minimum support price fixed for foodgrains must take into account the cost of cultivation to make agriculture remunerative to farmers as this is specifically relevant to AP since the state substantially contributes to the national food requirements. He also sought Government of India’s support for creating an additional 2.5 million tonne storage capacity to store foodgrains in the state.