24 irrigation projects would be completed in the next one year: CM

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday said 24 irrigation projects would be completed in the next one year to make optimum use of water resources.

“Twenty projects have already been completed after I assumed office nearly 1,500 days ago,” he said.Mr. Naidu said a team of officials was being sent to New Delhi to sort out the issues pertaining to Polavaram as advised by the Union Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari, and insisted that the project would not stop even if the State had differences with the Central government.

Addressing the media at Praja Vedika near his residence at Undavalli, Mr. Naidu said a sum of ?50,000 crore had been spent on water conservation, and farm loans amounting to 24,000 waived in spite of the fund constraint faced by the government in the wake of bifurcation.

Due priority was given to the welfare schemes, and allocations for the minorities had been trebled, he said.A sum of 60,000 crore was spent on welfare programmes. One hundred Anna Canteens would be launched across the State by the end of August.

Mr. Naidu said he would continue to fight for the interests of Andhra Pradesh, which stood at the crossroads due to bifurcation.He reiterated the State government’s resolve to build a steel plant on its own in Kadapa district, for which he had requested the Centre to give exemption from the taxes paid by the State to enable it to mobilise funds.The government constituted the 11th Pay Revision Commission and it would look into the demands of the employees sympathetically, he added.