Andhra Government Accords Top Priority to Agriculture & Education Sector: CM Jagan Mohan Reddy

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy said that the state government has given top priority to the agriculture sector as its contribution to the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) was 35%. Likewise, effective policies were implemented in the education sector to improve the outcomes.

According to Reddy, 62% of Andhra Pradesh's population relies on agriculture for a living. The prime minister of India, Narendra Modi, presided over the meeting of the NITI Aayog Governing Council on Sunday.

The CM said that the state government is implementing welfare schemes including YSR Rythu Bharosa-PM Kisan, free crop insurance, nine hours of free power for irrigation, and the establishment of 10,778 Rythu Bharosa Kendaras, which provide one-stop solutions for all the farmers' agricultural requirements.

"Making use of digital technology, we have also launched a CM App which monitors the crop purchase," he added, adding that e-cropping was also done at RBKs that have kiosks so farmers can order online and have their needs delivered to their doorsteps.

A comprehensive call center is also set up to inform farmers, answer questions, and raise their awareness of agricultural issues. Reddy stated in a release that "We are also making efforts to shift the farmers towards organic mode by promoting changing crop patterns and millets."

The Chief Minister claimed that a number of efforts in the field of education were started with the clear belief that only a high-quality education could reduce poverty.

He lamented the fact that the State's gross student enrollment for primary education rate was only 84.48 percent, well below the 99.21 percent national average.

"We will be refurbishing over 55,000 schools in three phases and have covered 15,715 in the first phase to create a better learning environment for students. We are promoting English language education in schools to enable children to face international competition,” he said.

Even in regular courses at the undergraduate level, the emphasis was on skill development. He claimed that 69,000 graduates in 2020–21 found jobs on campus.

The Chief Minister also discussed the village and ward secretariat system, which was designed to ensure that people received hassle-free service delivery through decentralization of administration.

He said that as part of the decentralization of government, 13 new districts were established in the State in April.