Education is the only gateway for growth: FM

Narsapuram: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday emphasised that education remains the most enduring foundation for development and called on students to focus on learning, self-improvement and creative thinking.

Addressing students at a programme held at the Zilla Parishad High School in her adopted village Peda Mainavani (PM) Lanka in West Godavari district, she said education alone empowers individuals and societies. The Union minister inaugurated computers, a science laboratory and other infrastructure facilities worth Rs 18 lakh provided with the support of Union Bank.Sitharaman encouraged youth from the coastal region to pursue higher education with confidence, assuring them of government support for education and regional development.

Advising students to study with dedication, she urged them to prepare themselves to serve the nation and the state. Referring to the Prime Minister's vision for adopted village development, Sitharaman said employment opportunities were being created through the PM VishwakarmaYojana training centre operating in the village.Recalling her long association with her adopted village and other villages, she said development activities progressed steadily with the strong support of local women and that the area is no longer a backward hamlet but has emerged as an important centre for AI-based training.

She said the cyclone shelter built in the village is serving multiple purposes and has now been transformed into a Digital Bhavan with the support of women. She noted that Andhra Pradesh’s first training centre for drones, covering manufacturing, maintenance and applications, has been established at the village. Youth trained here are now working in good positions in India and abroad, she said, adding that it was heartening to hear their experiences. The Union Minister said a survey conducted under the Vishwakarma Yojana placed a village in Jammu and Kashmir first and PM Lanka second in training outcomes. She stressed that farmers and women should reach a stage where they can use drones. Recalling how a large coconut grove in the area was washed away by sea erosion a decade ago, she said construction of a modern protective wall to prevent erosion is 55 per cent complete. She said PM Lanka has progressed from basic cyclone safety planning to AI training within ten years.

She directed the district administration to construct houses for 146 residents under the PM Awas Yojana within the next 12 months and to clear pending applications and provide boats to fishermen. She remarked that it was not she who adopted PM Lanka, but the villagers who adopted her, adding that she is known as the daughter of PM Lanka and the daughter-in-law of Andhra Pradesh.

Union Minister of State for Steel and Heavy Industries Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma said Sitharaman played a key role in strengthening the country’s economy, helping India move from 11th to fourth position globally.

AP Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav, Water Resources Minister Dr Nimmala Ramanaidu, District Collector Chadalavada Nagarani and others took part in the programme.