AP CM Naidu To Inspect Veligonda Works, Launch Sanjeevani Drive

Vijayawada: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will undertake a day-long visit to Markapuram district on Saturday to inspect the Veligonda Project, interact with beneficiaries and launch the Sanjeevani digital healthcare programme in Giddalur constituency.

The visit comes as the government is targeting completion of the first phase of the Veligonda Project by July. Naidu will inspect project works in Yerragondapalem constituency before attending programmes in Giddalur.

The Veligonda Project is expected to provide irrigation to 4.47 lakh acres and drinking water to nearly 15.25 lakh people across 30 mandals in Markapuram, Prakasam, Nellore and Kadapa districts. It is also expected to help address the region's long-standing fluoride contamination problem.

Under Stage I, the project will provide irrigation to 1.19 lakh acres and drinking water to four lakh people, while Stage II will extend irrigation to 3.28 lakh acres and drinking water to 11.25 lakh people. More than Rs 5,000 crore has been spent on Stage I works. Excavation of the nearly 19-km Tunnel-I, the exit channel and the link channel has been completed, while work on head regulators, tunnel lining, the approach channel and the eastern main canal is nearing completion.

The government has also spent Rs 190 crore on rehabilitation and resettlement for families displaced from 11 villages affected by the project. Naidu will interact with beneficiaries after inspecting the works.

Later, the Chief Minister will launch the Sanjeevani programme at the Krishnamsettipalli Primary Health Centre in Giddalur constituency. Developed under the Healthy Andhra Pradesh mission, Sanjeevani is an integrated digital healthcare platform linking sub-centres, primary health centres, district hospitals and super-speciality hospitals.

The platform will integrate services including non-communicable disease screening, maternal and child healthcare, 108 emergency services, 104 mobile medical units and e-Aushadhi. It also offers online appointments, digital health records, virtual consultations, follow-up care and AI-enabled health monitoring.

The programme was piloted in Kuppam in July 2025 and later expanded to Chittoor district. Following its rollout in Giddalur, the government plans to implement it across the state from August 15.

According to the official schedule, Naidu will arrive at Ghantavanipalle in Dornala mandal at 10.45 am, inspect the Veligonda Project until 12.20 pm, and later visit Krishnamsettipalli to interact with beneficiaries, address a public meeting and review party organisational matters before returning to Amaravati.