Action plan to make Navaratnalu shine: CM

Amaravati: The state cabinet on Wednesday taken certain important decisions which includes preparing an action plan to sell government lands to mop up funds for implementation of Navaratnalu and cancellation of GO pertaining to allotment of 498.93 acres of land at Jayantipuram village in Jaggaiahpet mandal to VBC fertilisers.

Addressing media after the cabinet meeting, Information and Public Relations Minister Perni Venkatramaiah said the cabinet felt that the previous government had allocated the land in an unethical manner to benefit the kin of then Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

It had also cancelled another GO that was issued by the TDP sanctioning 13.83 cents of land to Lulu company in Visakhapatnam to construct a shopping mall. While the market value of the land was Rs 50 crore it was given at a meagre cost of Rs 4 lakh, the minister said.

The state cabinet approved 'Mission Build Andhra Pradesh' and the integration with the central government's National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC). IAS officer Praveen Kumar has been appointed as the chairperson for this mission.

Among other decisions taken by the cabinet was a mission to cleanse all the canals in Krishna and Godavari rivers for which the Chief Minister will be the chairman, the chief secretary the vice-chairman and other officials would be its members.

The minister said it was also decided to increase salary of the sanitary workers in all hospitals from Rs 8,000 to Rs 16,000. Similarly, Jagannanna Ammavodi programme which would provide Rs 15,000 every year to the mothers or guardians of children who are studying from Class I to Intermediate has also been approved. The government has allocated Rs 6,400 crore for the purpose.

He said even if the mothers do not have a white ration card or an Aadhaar card but are below the poverty line, their application for the card would be taken into consideration for providing the subsidy. The amount would be deposited through online in the bank account of the mothers from January when it would be launched by the Chief Minister.

The minister further said that the scheme for providing a subsidy of Rs 15,000 to mothers was to reduce the illiteracy rate and drop out in the state which was 33%. It was also decided that pregnant and lactating mothers and children from six months to six years would be provided nutritious food in 77 mandals of the state for Rs 305 crore has been allocated by the government, including the Central subsidy for the purpose. It also accepted a proposal to take loans and issue bonds by the Discoms to come out of the financial problems.