The Hindu Business Line : 9-hour power supply for farm sector from July

Implementing welfare schemes: The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, addressing the District Collectors’ conference in Hyderabad on Friday. —

Our Bureau

Hyderabad, June 26 The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, today said the State will provide nine-hour power supply to the farm sector from July 15 as promised in the election campaign.

Mr Reddy announced that a scheme to provide drinking water supply to villages will be launched on the Independence Day. It hopes to cover 60 per cent villages by fiscal-end.

Addressing a two-day District Collectors’ conference here today, Dr Reddy called upon the State bureaucracy to ensure effective implementation of welfare schemes targeting the right beneficiaries and thereby make Andhra Pradesh a model State.

Already many schemes of the State such as housing, Arogyasri and implementation of Central schemes such as NREGS and DWCRA have come in for praise and other States are now seeking to replicate them, he said.

While the nine-hour power supply replaces the existing seven hours offered to the farm sector, the water scheme seeks to provide five litres of purified water from local processing plants to be set up in every village with investment of Rs 2 lakh.

The Chief Minister during the District Collectors’ conference in February in his previous term, had fixed the date for today for hosting the conference, assuring them he would return to power.

The State Chief Secretary, Mr Ramakanth Reddy, the Revenue Minister, Mr Dharmana Prasada Rao, and others recalled the statement Dr Reddy made at the same venue earlier in the year. The Chief Minister said the conference would now provide a new direction and set an agenda for administration. All Cabinet members would undertake surprise visits to see how Government programmes were being implemented. The Collectors were instructed to set up helipads at mandal headquarters.

The Collectors were also instructed to monitor prices of essential commodities and check hoarding and black marketing.

ELBIT PROPOSAL

Dr Reddy said Israeli firm Elbit has come up with a proposal to set up a dairy farm with 10,000 cows. This proposal is a follow-up of discussions with the Israeli Ambassador.

The Government is also keen on taking up contract farming and collectors would play a major role in ensuring its smooth implementation.

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