Naidu sets target of 10 lakh houses by year-end

Vijayawada: Chief minister Chandrababu Naidu on Friday announced that the state government aims to construct 10 lakh houses by the end of the year. Speaking during the assembly discussion on budgetary allocations for housing and agriculture, he said 3 lakh houses have already been handed over, and another 3 lakh will be completed by Ugadi. House-warming ceremonies for 2.26 lakh units in June and 2.10 lakh in Sept are planned. He appealed to all eligible people without homes to apply.Naidu said the govt has identified 2.20 lakh families without houses or house sites. He announced that the state will allot 2 cents in urban areas and 3 cents in rural areas free of cost to eligible beneficiaries. He further stated that large-scale irregularities had occurred in site allotments under the previous govt, and assured that all such cases would be examined and those responsible brought to book.On agriculture, Naidu said the govt is strengthening the sector through agri-tech, water security, demand-based crops, food processing, marketing, and state support. Andhra Pradesh contributes 10% of the national GDP from agriculture, he noted.Outlining support schemes for farmers, Naidu said 69,000 new agriculture power connections were issued in addition to 22.5 lakh pump sets. The govt is spending ₹13,722 crore to provide free power to agriculture pump sets. Under the Annadata Sukhibhava scheme, ₹6,309 crore has been disbursed to 47 lakh farmers, including ₹6,000 assistance per farmer from the Union govt. The state is paying ₹14,000 per annum to every eligible farmer.Naidu said the state has attracted ₹14,230 crore in food processing investments and stressed the need for value addition to boost farmer revenues. He announced plans to expand natural farming to 50 lakh acres, develop Rayalaseema as a horticulture hub with a ₹30,000 crore cluster plan (scaling to ₹1 lakh crore with private investment), and provide aqua units power at ₹1.50 per unit to position AP as an aquaculture hub. A large cocoa city is also planned in Eluru.