On the 71st Independence Day on Tuesday, the tricolour fluttered high in the backdrop of the Seven Hills in the temple city.
It was the first State-level celebration in Tirupati, as the preceding three events post bifurcation had been organised in Kurnool, Visakhapatnam and Anantapur.
Delivering his address after hoisting the flag and inspecting the parade, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu traced the path trodden by the country, right from the freedom struggle to gaining Independence in 1947.
In the same vein, he explained the fate of the Telugus from the formation of States on linguistic basis to the bifurcation in 2014, which led to creation of a truncated Andhra Pradesh with much lower per capita revenue. In the address that rarely adhered to the prepared text and hovered over his pet topics such as bifurcation blues, use of technology, loan waiver, irrigation projects, Mr. Naidu reiterated his commitment to the development of the State in spite of odds.
Balanced development
“Ensuring balanced development is the sole reason behind organising the official Independence Day celebrations outside the Capital city every year. Ours is the only State to do so,” he said.
Dwelling at length on the water crisis being faced by the State and the slew of irrigation projects under construction, Mr. Naidu said Handri-Neeva would be ready soon. Polavaram, Galeru-Nagari and Somasila- Swarnamukhi link canal would be completed as per schedule, much before 2019, to wet every possible acre of land, he added.
Horticulture hub
Given the great potential for cultivation of fruits and vegetables in the region, Mr. Naidu promised to make Rayalaseema a horticulture hub by encouraging export of the produce to every corner of the globe and turning the rocky terrain (raalla seema) into a land of gems (ratanala seema). He also hinted at increased priority to natural farming.
On the importance of the ‘Nava Nirmana Deeksha’ and the ‘Maha Sankalpa Yatra’, he said they were necessary to inculcate among the people a sense of sacrifice and dedication for achieving the larger goal of overall development.