AP to set up Indian School of Agriculture
Providing AI-based agritech services to farmers
Amaravati: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday directed district collectors to give top priority to farmers’ welfare and water security.
Addressing the sixth Collectors’ Conference at the Secretariat in Amaravati, he announced a series of key initiatives, including the establishment of an Indian School of Agriculture and the release of irrigation water for the Kharif season from May 15.
The Chief Minister proposed the setting up of ‘Indian School of Agriculture’ on the lines of the Indian School of Business to address challenges in the agricultural sector and promote AI-based agritech services to benefit farmers.
"Let us encourage agriculture. There is a need to establish a strong system for agriculture on the lines of IT, AI and quantum labs. On the lines of the Indian School of Business, let us establish a system called the Indian School of Agriculture," said Naidu. He said agriculture requires institutional support similar to technology sectors and stressed the need to build a robust system to promote innovation and productivity in farming.
Naidu said the state government is focusing sharply on water security and observed that groundwater levels have improved to an average of 8.10 metres across Andhra Pradesh. He asked collectors to implement a 90-day water conservation programme from April 1, including de-silting works in tanks, canals, and other water bodies.
According to the Chief Minister, 614 TMC of water is currently available in reservoirs across the state. He said improved groundwater levels could help the state government save nearly Rs 14,000 crore in power subsidy.
Naidu announced that the Veligonda irrigation project will be completed by July, while the Polavaram Project is expected to be completed by 2027. Naidu also set targets for collectors on governance and welfare delivery, directing officials to ensure large-scale publicity of welfare and development programmes among the public. He stated that the government has been reviewing governance issues every three months and is attempting to balance welfare, development and good governance despite limited resources. Naidu said significant governance changes were introduced during the past 20 months and stressed that policies introduced by the government would have a long-term impact.
The Chief Minister observed that the administration has moved away from the earlier practice of sitting in offices and writing files, shifting towards a virtual working system. He emphasised that the targets fixed by the government should be implemented effectively at the grassroots level and that there should be no negligence in execution.
Calling for wider outreach of flagship initiatives, Naidu said welfare programmes, including the 'Super Six' schemes, should be brought closer to people with complete transparency. The CM announced that the third instalment of the 'Annadata Sukhibhava' (which offers Rs 20,000 per annum to farmers) scheme will be implemented on March 13. According to him, the state will deposit its share, along with the funds provided by the Centre, directly into farmers' accounts. Naidu also urged farmer associations, irrigation associations and primary cooperative societies to effectively take forward the 'Rythanna Meekosam' (for farmers) programme Highlighting welfare initiatives, Naidu said the state government will organise a mass house-warming programme for 2.5 lakh beneficiaries as ‘Ugadi gift’.
