Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said on Sunday that the government would promote organic farming in a big way with a view to transforming Andhra Pradesh into a natural farming State by 2024.
Mr. Naidu went round the SC and BC colonies in Jonnagiri village of Tuggali mandal in the district under the ‘Gramadarsini’ programme, and interacted with the people. He visited the houses of Kavali Ramanjaneyulu and Munuswamy that had been built under the NTR Housing scheme.
In the Nava Nirmana Deeksha grama sabha organised at Jonnagiri, Mr. Naidu said the government had built the Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Scheme and diverted 145 tmc ft water to Rayalaseema. This apart, the government waived farmers’ loan of ₹24,000 crore. Mr. Naidu said ₹240 crore would be spent to supply water from the Handri-Neeva project to 68 tanks to make the western part of the district fertile in the next one year.
A shepherd, Srikrishna, said he was earning ₹7,000 from the Nellore sheep breed he had purchased with the revolving fund of ₹10,000 sanctioned under the ‘Velugu’ scheme. When Srikrishna sought sanction of a shed to protect the sheep from being struck by lightning, Mr. Naidu said he would instead grant him assistance to raise palm trees as “sheep are more safe under them.” Bharathi, a Sadhikara Mitra volunteer, said she was serving 35 families and enlightening the people on the government schemes. Mr. Naidu later blessed a pregnant woman during the ‘Seemantham’ programme.
Houses sanctioned
Acceding to the people’s request, he announced sanction of 550 houses, and promised to get them built either on their own sites, or in three-storeyed buildings.