Vijayawada: Home minister Vangalapudi Anitha asserted in the Assembly on Thursday that the state government is taking strict measures to ensure law and order in Andhra Pradesh.

Recalling the previous YSRCP regime, she said law and order had collapsed to the extent that even schoolchildren were being exposed to ganja. “With Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s firm action, the situation has now come under complete control,” she stated. She added that the specially created Eagle Wing had set up over 40,000 Eagle Clubs across the state to curb the ganja menace.

According to national-level reports, crimes in Andhra Pradesh have reduced by 60 per cent, the minister said. For women’s safety, the government has introduced the Shakti mobile app and strengthening of the judicial system has also led to faster convictions of accused persons, she added.

The minister pointed out that the YSRCP government had stalled the construction of forensic laboratories. When the current government assumed power, 25,000 forensic reports were pending. “We have reduced this backlog to 1,600, showing our commitment to law enforcement,” Anitha said.

She warned that criminals in the guise of politicians were misusing social media to spread hatred against the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister. Some, she alleged, were even changing caste names to post vulgar content. Condemning objectionable remarks made against Pawan Kalyan’s daughter, she called it outrageous.

The home minister stressed the need for legal reforms to curb social media crimes. She added that a Cabinet sub-committee had been formed to monitor financial and digital crimes and reiterated the government’s commitment to maintaining peace and security across the state.