Andhra CM seeks all possible help from centre

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday said the central government should extend all possible help to his state till it achieves level-playing field with other states.

Addressing the Independence Day celebrations after unfurling the national flag here, Naidu said the hand-holding by the central government was necessary to undo the injustice meted out to the state during bifurcation.

He hoped that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would provide every assistance to the state.

Naidu, whose Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is a partner in the BJP-led NDA government at the centre, is scheduled to meet Modi in Delhi next week to seek special category status to the state and implement commitments made in Andhra Pradesh Bifurcation Act.

The TDP chief said despite facing all odds in the aftermath of "unjust" bifurcation, the state was marching ahead on all fronts and was determined to achieve double digit growth during the current financial year.

Seeking the cooperation of people, Naidu vowed to make Andhra Pradesh number one state and an investment destination in the country.

He said the state had all the natural and human resources to turn itself into one of the three leading states by 2022 and the number one state by 2029.

Naidu said the bifurcation left Andhra Pradesh without revenues and the state capital.

"We took up the challenge to build the capital. Singapore has already prepared three master plans. Amaravati will be one of the best cities in the world," he said.

Thanking farmers for coming forward to voluntarily give 33,000 acres of land for the capital, Naidu said other people should have the same spirit as the land was required to build airports, ports and other major infrastructure projects.

The chief minister promised to make Visakhapatnam a world class city with special focus on information technology.

He vowed to make agriculture profitable and said the government was fulfilling the promise to waive crop loans to the tune of Rs.25,000 crore.

Referring to the suicide of a girl student of Nagarjuna University in Guntur due to ragging by seniors, Naidu warned that the government will deal firmly with those indulging in such activities.

"We will not tolerate harassment of our daughters. Those indulging in ragging have no right to continue education," he added.