Greater IT use will bring down graft rate: AP CM

Exhorting that money should not be the only motto in one's life, the chief minister said that he is all for containing money power in elections besides upholding service motto above all the aberrations in public life.

He was presenting his government's vision for the state on the new year day. Quoting the long-term goal of eradicating poverty and building a knowledge society based on the values of hard work, honesty, discipline and collective sense of purpose from 'Vision 2020' document, he said the state government had strived hard to achieve the goals in the past eight years.

Naidu stated that his government had focussed on making the state drought-free by utilising Godavari river water for irrigation and introducing micro irrigation technologies for better water management.

"Without achieving growth in rural economy, the state's progress is inconceivable," he explained.

"Services is the one sector which will help create abundant employment opportunities for the youth in Andhra Pradesh. We also should grab the opportunities arising out of worldwide offshoring, of which India is estimated to have the potential of $ 52 billion in near future," Naidu added.

He said that international airport at Shamshabad would be ready by 2006-07. There would be improved air connectivity and amenities for all the major cities in the state.

He stressed the need for reorienting education, linking academics with business and industry and introduction of new courses related to business process outsourcing(BPO), finance, insurance, soft skills, English language communication.

He said more vocational training opportunities would be created as only 5 per cent of labour force in the age group of 20-24 years had undergone formal vocational training in India.

The chief minister argued that the present welfare schemes were very much a part of the economic reforms being undertaken by the state government.

The government had planned to build 42 lakh houses for the 42 lakh homeless people in the state in the next 7 years, the chief minister added.