Naidu Sets Target for AP’s Economic Growth at 16%

Vijayawada: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has set a target for AP’s economic growth rate at 16 per cent by end of current fiscal – against 12 per cent last year and 11.28 per cent in the second quarter of the current fiscal.

Naidu chaired a review meeting on the gross state domestic product, real time governance system, distribution of pattadar passbooks, etc with the ministers and secretaries, at the secretariat on Monday.

He said, “We have changed the gear from ease of doing business to the speed of doing business. If we ensure the speed of delivery of citizen services, we can achieve better results in 2026.”

Naidu said the government was issuing pattadar passbooks with the state government emblem and QR code, after doing away with the practice of issuing them with the photo of the chief minister, as happened during the YSRC term. “We are vetting the revenue records and expending the land resurvey exercise,” he said and vowed to complete the streamlining of the land records by the end of 2026.

The CM called for transparency in the registration of documents and vowed efforts to make the entire registration process transparent. There must be efforts to clear files in the government offices in an expeditious manner.

He proposed usage of the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) in an efficient manner so that it would help generate more community assets.

Referring to the devotion and faith of the people in Lord Venkateswara of the TTD in Tirumala, Naidu flayed the previous YSRC government for “its efforts to defile its sanctity” there, and said they even made efforts to justify a theft in Parakamani.

He referred to the preparation of Prasadam of the Venkateswara temple with adulterated ghee and instances of finding empty liquor bottles in Tirumala and said these were unfortunate.

Naidu said, “The opposition leaders are trying to play politics even with Lord Venkateswara. This is very painful and I condemn such practices.”

The chief minister said the government was assessing the GSDP figures, maintenance of law and order etc, and said, “This time we intend to compete with some states that fared well in 2025.”

Naidu asserted that the government had ensured water security for the state. Now, officials must release water season-wise, he said and asked other departments too to work on similar lines. Government departments must prepare advance plans, he said, and claimed that unless plans were made on a monthly, quarterly and yearly basis, targets could not be achieved.

Every government department, across districts, must register the targeted growth rate by the end of the current fiscal. District collectors and officials must pay attention to the accuracy of data. Based on such information, the GSDP could be calculated, he said.

Naidu said he would call a collectors’ conference next month to review the issues in the GSDP. There must be proper supervision on implementation of the 10 guiding principles to realise the Swarna Andhra Vision-2047. A 10-member task force has been appointed, he said, and advised it to take the responsibility for the task entrusted with it.

Naidu said some departments were unable to spend central funds properly. They must spend them and submit utility certificates by January 15, he said, and directed the officials to spend 100 per cent of the funds by the end of January.

“We should approach the Centre for sanction of additional funds after March 15. Departments must fully utilise the central funds in a ‘Do or Die’ mode. If the granted funds remain unspent, it would be seen as a failure of the respective department,” he said.

The chief minister wanted officials to come up with new ideas to generate funds so as to take up projects, instead of stalling them for want of funds. He advised them to take up projects under PPP mode.

He asked as to why the funds sanctioned for the Swachhandhra Corporation were not spent. Why was a less amount spent when `440 crore was available for both urban and rural areas?

Naidu directed the officials to come up with plans for laying roads under hybrid models in East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna and Guntur districts. They must expedite the sanctioned projects. District collectors must ensure that all major projects are grounded. Every government department must fare well in providing citizen services, he said.