Amaravati, May 7 (IANS) Local body elections in Andhra Pradesh would be conducted soon, announced Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday.

Addressing the conference of the district Collectors at the State Secretariat here, he said the local body polls would be held soon.

He reviewed the performance of various departments and the implementation of programmes at the field level. Discussions were held on education, healthcare, and the grounding of investments, among other subjects.

He directed the district Collectors to encourage the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises sector, as the increasing number of industries create significant opportunities for ancillary industries.

He emphasised that Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises should play a vital role in the industrial ecosystem evolving around major investments coming into the state.

The Chief Minister said that any issues faced by companies coming forward to invest in the state, particularly related to land allocation, should be resolved immediately.

He stressed that products from various districts should evolve into pan-India and global brands, similar to the successful branding of Araku Coffee.

The Chief Minister noted that the arrival of the Google Cloud Artificial Intelligence Hub in Andhra Pradesh had attracted the Carrier Air Conditioning company to the state.

He said the company would supply bulk chillers required for data centres and quantum computing facilities.

He stated that a Quantum Reference facility has already been established in Amaravati and that once the Quantum Computing Centre becomes operational, an ecosystem for manufacturing the required equipment would also emerge.

He underlined that Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises should become an integral part of this evolving industrial ecosystem.

Highlighting the importance of logistics, he said reducing transportation costs is essential for achieving faster economic growth.

The Chief Minister informed the officials that 64 national highway projects worth over Rs 1 lakh crore are coming to the state, while 624 railway projects worth Rs 64,000 crore are currently under construction.

In addition, projects worth nearly Rs 2 lakh crore are in the Detailed Project Report stage.

He said upcoming projects would include express and local train networks, along with the expansion of railway lines into four-lane corridors.

The Chief Minister said logistics parks would generate large-scale economic activity across the state.

Referring to the possible impact of El Niño, he cautioned that rainfall may be below normal and instructed Collectors to take precautionary measures in advance.

He directed officials to prepare water management plans suitable for rainfed crops, dryland farming, and horticulture crops, while also ensuring adequate fodder supply for livestock.

Stating that Singapore’s governance systems have earned the trust of its people, he proposed that Andhra Pradesh adopt some of Singapore’s best administrative practices by developing one district as a model.

He directed officials to prepare a 90-day action plan for implementing Singapore-inspired governance practices and to closely monitor its execution.

He emphasised the need to focus on development and accelerate progress through innovation.

The Chief Minister highlighted that the service sector must expand further and pointed out that Andhra Pradesh contributes nearly 10 per cent of the country’s agricultural output.

Chandrababu Naidu advised the district Collectors to come out with innovative ideas by adopting technology to achieve the highest public satisfaction level in the delivery of government services, including welfare programmes.

He asked them to utilise social media platforms to inform people about the achievements.

–IANS

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