SHGs will be our biggest strength: Naidu

Hyderabad, Aug 7 (INN): In his first meeting with collectors from all the 13 districts after the formation of new Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu said the government has a massive task of developing the residual AP into a 'Sunrise State.'

Addressing district collectors in Vijayawada on Thursday, the Chief Minister said even if the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) does not come forward or if banks do not reschedule loans, we will still go ahead with waiver.

Indicating that the conference is an important platform to give direction to the new state, he said AP is faced with challenges such as lack of capital and basic infrastructure.

Stating that the political administration reflects uncertainties, he said the growth rate in the last 10 years has dropped due to lack of reforms to revive economy and also due to incumbency. This non-performance has hit people the most as prices of essential commodities and vegetables have skyrocketed.

The Chief Minister said there is an uncertainty because of cadre allocation delay. Stating that he has two roles to play ' as the Chief Minister of the new state as well as the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president in Telangana ' he said political mandate needs to be implemented by government machinery.

He added that the preference of capital would be given to a central location.

Chandrababu Naidu said that inclusive growth is the state government's priority. Stating that Self-help Groups are the biggest strength for government, he said we should aim to make at least one member in a family belonging to a SHGs.

'They are the source of social empowerment. They have created awareness about family planning by controlling population and been instrumental in empowering lives.'

The Chief Minister asked collectors to adopt 'out-of-box thinking' and said he would support honest officers. He added that about 10,000 important functionaries would get tablets to make communication and coordination easy.

Naidu also added that the law and order and development should be properly integrated and balanced. He urged the collectors to come out with action-based plans and to devise a plan to address issues categorizing them into three, namely: Immediate, Short-term and Long-term.

He said district collectors would be held accountable for their administration and should look into providing cost-effective solutions.