Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday (March 30) said eradicating poverty is his life’s ambition and vowed to strive as long as he could to achieve that goal. He stressed the need for governments to create wealth for the people and improve their lives and called upon non-government organisations, industrialists, philanthropists and other resourceful individuals to contribute their mite to uplift the poor.
Participating as the chief guest in the Ugadi Sambaram organised at the Swarna Bharat Trust (SBT) at Atkur in Krishna district, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu said the reforms initiated by former PM P.V. Narasimha Rao in 1991 helped India make rapid growth strides and the country was poised to become, at least, the world’s second largest economy by 2047 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. However, since the governments can’t do everything on their own to reach that milestone, private entities should help them to the extent possible.
He lauded the SBT for doing what governments are supposed to do (imparting vocational training to youth) and praised former Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu for making it possible, while pointing out that he never sought any help from the State government in his personal capacity as the father of the SBT’s managing trustee Deepa Venkat.
Mr. Chandrababu Naidu said values have declined in society as Mr. Venkaiah Naidu has been pointing out and recalled his association with tall leaders such as A.B. Vajpayee, Jyoti Basu and NTR, who led others by example.
He expressed regret that in these times, he had to fight leaders for whom values never mattered. He noted that Mr. Venkaiah Naidu is one of the few leaders always concerned about the well-being of the masses, irrespective of positions of power. Mr. Venkaiah Naidu had fought against the unceremonious removal of NTR from the post of CM, the CM observed.
In Amaravati
Mr. Chandrababu Naidu said he is proud that 29,000 farmers gave 33,000 acres for the construction of the capital Amaravati and he is striving to make it a reality with the support of the Centre.
Mr. Venkaiah Naidu said skill development is India’s most important requirement as it was not possible for the governments to feed the entire 1.40 billion population with its resources. This is where organisations such as the SBT should supplement the efforts of the governments. To share and care is at the core of Indian philosophy, he observed.
He said the new National Education Policy is crucial in equipping the youth with the necessary skills and insisted that people should elect leaders who rise above caste, community and money to cleanse the system. Moral education should be made one of the compulsory subjects in schools and colleges.
The government should complete Amaravati in time as it has been a long-cherished dream of the farmers, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu suggested to the CM, while recalling the support extended by the Centre to the project in the form of financial assistance and the numerous institutions of national importance sanctioned for the State.
Minister Kollu Ravindra, Machilipatnam MP Vallabhaneni Balashowry, MLAs Kamineni Srinivas and Yarlagadda Venkat Rao and other dignitaries participated in the event. Earlier, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated Dr. Yellapragada Subba Rao Centre of Excellence in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Skills, which is supported by Suven Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
Published - March 30, 2025 08:28 pm IST
