Decentralisation of administration is the key principle based on which a legislation is in process to have three capitals, Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan has said.
Addressing the State Legislature via a video link from Raj Bhavan to formally mark the beginning of the Budget session of the Assembly on Tuesday, the Governor said under the three-capital concept, Amaravati would be the Legislative capital, Visakhapatnam the Executive capital and Kurnool the Judicial capital.
‘Sweeping reforms’
He said the government had done exceptionally well in ensuring social justice and in bringing welfare schemes to the targeted sections, introducing sweeping reforms in the administration, improving healthcare system manifold, instilling confidence among farmers and taking measures to revamp schools, hospitals and irrigation system.
He said by prioritising water resource management through the Jalayagnam programme, the government had accelerated efforts for completion of the Polavaram project by December 2021, along with land acquisition, rehabilitation and settlement.
Steps were also being initiated to take up the Rayalaseema drought mitigation project, speed up the Uttarandhra Srujala Sravanti, enhance the capacity of Polavaram Right Main Canal (RMC) to 50,000 cusecs to take care of the Krishna delta, the NSP ayacut and the drought-prone Rayalaseema, Nellore and Prakasam districts.
‘Path-breaking laws’
The Governor spoke about “pathbreaking laws” brought in to usher in social, economic and political justice, and cited the setting up of the BC Commission to provide 50% quota to the SC, ST, BC and Minorities in nominated posts and works, and in governing councils of temples that come under the Endowments Department.
Some of the legislations he referred to were provision of 75% reservation to locals, laws pertaining to introduction of English as a medium of instruction and regulate private schools and colleges, a Judicial Preview Commission, the Land Titling Act, and the Disha Bill.
COVID management
He said effective steps were being taken to contain the spread of COVID-19 and that the State was ahead of others in the number of tests conducted. About 15,000 tests were being conducted per day and more than 10,000 tests per million. Reeling out statistics of the number of doctors, para medical staff, hospital beds and other medical facilities, he said all this had helped the State record a low mortality rate, a low positivity rate and a much higher recovery rate than most others.
He said the State’s economy had shown tremendous resilience within the context of a global slowdown, even in the pre-COVID-19 times, and that its per capita income, measures at current prices, had increased by more than 12% from ₹1,51,173 in 2018-19 to ₹1,69,519 in 2019-20.
Mr. Harichandan said the government had put in place an impeccable delivery mechanism of welfare schemes in the form of village and ward secretariats, and that 90% of the promises made in the party’s election manifesto, Navaratnalu, had been fulfilled in the first year itself.
In the Education sector, he said changes were being ushered in through schemes such as Amma Vodi, Jagananna Vidya Kanuka, Jagananna Goru Mudda, Jagananna Vidya Deevena, Jagananna Vasathi Deevena and Jagananna Mana Badi while in the health sector, YSR Aarogyasri, YSR Aarogya Asaraa, YSR Kanti Velugu, YSR Telemedicine and Nadu Nedu were being implemented to take the fruits of the programmes to the grass-root level.
He also elaborated on programmes taken up under Agriculture, Housing and Energy sectors.
