Amaravati: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday unveiled a comprehensive governance framework at the Fifth Collectors’ Conference, setting a tough, outcome-driven agenda focused on accountability, data-driven decision-making, speed of doing business, use of technology to the hilt, and maximising public trust, while also issuing a clear warning to laggards in the administrative machinery that performance, not procedure, will define success.

At the conference, where senior officials were also present, Naidu said governance had entered a decisive phase in which overall citizen satisfaction and visible outcomes would prevail over paperwork or ceremonial compliance. He stressed that collectors must function as the “face of the NDA coalition government” and make sure it earns credibility through efficient administration. “We are not here for numbers alone.

If stakeholders do not appreciate our work, something is missing,” he said, urging officials to reassess governance through the public’s lens rather than internal metrics.

The Chief Minister said Andhra Pradesh was aligning governance with national and global benchmarks, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals, for 2030 targets, requiring a shift from activity-based administration to outcome-driven governance. Technology, Naidu said, would serve as the backbone for discipline and transparency.

He announced mandatory end-to-end digitisation of files, real-time grievance monitoring, and the use of blockchain-based systems in the Revenue Department to eliminate manipulation and fix responsibility. From January, all files must move exclusively online, and all services be delivered digitally, with personal accountability for deviations. Data analytics, artificial intelligence, IoT sensors, and a unified data lake were already enabling real-time monitoring down to the village level, he pointed out.

Public perception, Naidu pinpointed, had become a decisive governance metric. He cautioned officials against relying solely on internal assessments. “You think you are working very well. I also think so. But if people are not appreciating it, something is missing,” he told collectors, urging continuous evaluation of citizen satisfaction.

Citing survey analytics, Naidu acknowledged inherited deficiencies such as poor roads, drainage, water scarcity, housing shortages, and unemployment. Mentioning that over 50 per cent of the citizens currently expressed satisfaction with governance, he described it as “a major achievement” and stressed that the goal was to raise this figure significantly.

On the welfare front, the Chief Minister said the government had restored fiscal credibility while implementing its ‘Super Six’ commitments, including enhanced pensions, income support for farmers, women-centric schemes, and welfare payments delivered on the first day of every month. Pension delivery, he noted, had achieved a 92 per cent satisfaction rate.

Drawing a sharp contrast with the previous administration, Naidu accused it of fiscal mismanagement, unsustainable borrowing at 13-14 per cent interest, and wasteful spending that left the State unable to meet even salary obligations. He said the coalition government was now restructuring debt through short-, medium- and long-term plans, renegotiating liabilities and restoring investor confidence. This was reflected in investment proposals exceeding Rs 14 lakh crore and Cabinet approval for projects worth Rs 8.8 lakh crore.

Naidu said the government had ensured water security, secured better farm prices, reduced electricity charges, and taken up repairs of nearly 70 per cent of damaged roads. Andhra Pradesh, he added, was attracting investments in sunrise sectors such as space, drones, electronics, and green hydrogen, and had shifted focus from ‘ease’ to ‘speed’ of doing business,” making 15 per cent GSDP growth achievable through focus on jobs, agri-tech and water security.

Defending the PPP model, the Chief Minister clarified that medical colleges built under PPP would function as government institutions under state regulation, benefiting NTR health scheme patients. Calling collectors the government’s ‘ambassadors’, he said “Trust is earned through swift justice, effective grievance redressal, and investor support.”