Hyderabad: Emphasising the role of technology in making the delivery of social welfare to the poor transparent, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu announced on Monday that soon his government will provide a free smartphone to every household in the state.
Addressing a public meeting at Nidadvole as part of “Janmbhoomi Maa Voru” programme, Naidu said that smartphones will empower families and will help them in securing social welfare benefits from the government without a middleman. “Our government will use the technology to ensure justice to the poor families”, he said.
Despite the objections from the centre, the state government has waived off the loans of farmers to the tune of Rs240 billion (Dh12.68 billion), he added.
Naidu, who laid the foundation stone for an overbridge and opened an Anna Canteen selling affordable food, said that the state government will provide basic amenities to every village.
“Underground drainage will be provided for every place with a population of more than 2,000 and piped drinking water will be provided to each and every household in the state within two years,” he said.
He lashed out at the centre for adopting an indifferent attitude towards Andhra Pradesh. Naidu said that he had no ambition to become country’s prime minister and the reason for joining hands with Congress was latter’s promise to grant Special Category Status to the state.
On Prime Minister Narendar Modi’s allegations that Naidu was working for his son and not the state, Naidu said that such a statement was unfortunate. “My family is running Heritage company in a systematic manner. I had asked my son Lokesh to look after the family business but he expressed interest in coming into politics to serve the society,” Naidu said.
“It was an accident that Modi became the prime minister”, he added.
“On the one hand, Modi government has handed over the case of knife attack on Jaganmohan Reddy to the National Investigation Agency. But on the other hand, it was the same Modi who had obstructed the CBI inquiry into 2002 riots in Gujarat”, he recalled.
Modi had targeted Naidu and his family during a video conference with the BJP leaders from Andhra Pradesh on Sunday. “Naidu backstabbed his own father in law NTR and he can backstab anyone for his and his family’s prosperity”, Modi said.
