State to spend Rs 16 K crore on Jala Yagnam: CM

Hyderabad, October 29 : Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Monday claimed that the State Government has spent about Rs 70,000 crore since 2004 to irrigate about 21 lakh acres of land in the State.

Addressing a meeting at Dubbaka village of Medak district on the first day of Indiramma Baata programme, the Chief Minister announced another 30 lakh acres of land would be brought under cultivation by spending Rs 16,000 crore in the next two years under Jala Yagnam programme. He also assured that the construction of Pranahita-Chevalla project would be completed soon.

Listing out the schemes being implemented by his government for the welfare of farmers in the State, the Chief Minister said that Andhra Pradesh was the only State in the country where farmers were being provided interest free loans up to Rs one lakh.

Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha, ministers, MPs, MLAs, MLCs and other leaders also participated in the meeting. Later, the Chief Minister inaugurated Shaadikhana, MPP office and laid foundation stone for CPWS scheme, ITI, sub-station and PHC at Dubbaka.

While interacting with the Self Help Group (SHG) women at Surampally, the Chief Minister said that about 1.40 crore SHG women secured 50 per cent of total SHG loans lent by the banks in the country. He said women from Andhra Pradesh secured Rs 13,000 crore from banks this year and Rs 1,500 crore under Stree Nidhi to improve their living standards.

On the Day-II of the programme on Tuesday, the Chief Minister will interact with students at AP Social Welfare Residential School for Girls at Medak. Then he will reach Agriculture Market Committee and lay foundation stones for widening of R&B roads, sub stations, inaugurate sub station at Japthi Shivnoor and attend a party workers meeting. He will arrive by helicopter at Anuradha Degree College at Narayankhed and lay the foundation stones for CPWS schemes, Polytechnic College, PHC, distribute house sites, interact with ST farmers and address a public meeting.

The Chief Minister will inaugurate Yantralakshmi (Exhibition of Agricultural implements) at Rejinthal village of Nyalkal mandal and interact with Agriculture, Horticulture and MIP farmers. He will also address a public meeting. He will lay foundation stone for improvement of Road from NH-9 to Lingampally village. At Kamkole village of Munipally Mandal, he will lay the foundation stone for widening of Kamkote-Kapad road. He will also visit Priyadarshini Spinning Mill at Sadasivapet and review the developmental activities in Medak district.