Andhra Pradesh accords top priority to agriculture, education: CM

The AP govt has been according top priority to the agriculture sector as its share in the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) was 35 per cent, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy said on Sunday.

The Andhra Pradesh government has been according top priority to the agriculture sector as its share in the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) was 35 per cent, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy said on Sunday.

Similarly, effective policies were being implemented in the education sector to improve the outcomes and make the children competitive.

At the Governing Council meeting of the NITI Aayog in New Delhi, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister highlighted the initiatives of his government in the two sectors and presented a note, a release from the CMO here said.

"After the bifurcation (in 2014), Andhra Pradesh has become a State completely dependent on agriculture. Sixty-two per cent of the population is dependent on agriculture and contributing 35 per cent to the GSDP. Hence, we have accorded top priority to this sector," the Chief Minister said.

He listed out the initiatives like establishment of 10,778 Rythu Bharosa Kendras that act as one-stop shop for all agricultural needs, free crop insurance and the PM KISAN-Rythu Bharosa input assistance scheme.

"We are also extensively using digital technology for monitoring purchase of agricultural produce. e-Crop booking is another initiative to help in effective implementation of input subsidy, crop insurance and similar schemes," Reddy said.

Focus was also on natural and organic farming, interchanging of crops and cultivation of millets, he added.

The Chief Minister said in the education sector, several initiatives were launched with the firm belief that good education alone would alleviate poverty.

He lamented that the gross enrolment ratio in primary education in the State was only 84.48 per cent against the national average of 99.21 per cent.

"We will be refurbishing over 55,000 schools in three phases and have covered 15,715 in the first phase to create a better learning environment for students. We are promoting English language education in schools to enable children to face international competition," he said.

Focus was also on skill development at the undergraduate-level even through traditional courses. In 2020-21, he said 69,000 students secured campus placements upon graduation.

The Chief Minister spoke also about the village and ward secretariat system that was intended to ensure hassle-free service delivery to people through decentralisation of administration.

He said 13 new districts were created in the State in April as part of decentralisation of administration.

"Our objective is to ensure benefits of schemes reach all eligible people in a transparent manner. Decentralisation helps us in this regard and also achieve the goals more effectively," the Chief Minister summed up.