After a cabinet meeting led by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, the Andhra Pradesh government made a number of important choices. One of these was to start the statewide deployment of its flagship free bus travel program for women, called “Stree Shakti,” on August 15th. This important campaign promise is likely to have a big effect on women’s ability to get around and their ability to make decisions.
K. Parthasarathy, the State Information and Public Relations Minister, said that the plan, which is part of a “Super Six” election pledge, will not just be carried out in certain districts, as had been rumored, but will be carried out across the state. The program is expected to cost ₹1,942 crore a year and will be available on about 75% of the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation’s (APSRTC) 11,449 buses. Palle Velugu, Ultra Palle Velugu, City Ordinary, Metro Express, and Express are some of the services that are part of the plan. The government thinks that the plan will help up to 1.4 crore women per year, and each household might save up to ₹1,000 a month.
The cabinet approved a number of additional important plans to improve the state’s economy and infrastructure, in addition to the “Stree Shakti” program:
Andhra Pradesh Land Incentive for Tech Hub Policy 4.0: The goal of this program is to boost economic growth and draw in investments in the IT industry, especially after the state split in two and Hyderabad was lost. The initiative gives qualifying groups land at a low price of ₹0.99 per acre across the state. This will help them build new innovation hubs using the state’s existing infrastructure and skilled workers.
Power Sector Reforms: The cabinet approved a government guarantee of ₹900 crore to the State Bank of India and Union Bank of India for the Andhra Pradesh Power Development Company Ltd (PDCL). This was done to stop unfavorable reports from going to government agencies since DISCOMs were late on payments. The government also authorized extra guarantees of ₹3,544 crore and ₹1,029 crore for Andhra Pradesh Southern Power Distribution Company Ltd and Andhra Pradesh Central Power Distribution Company Ltd, respectively.
Social and Economic Support: The cabinet agreed to a plan to raise the free electricity limit for hair-cutting salons from 150 units to 200 units per month in order to help the Nayi Brahmin community.
The cabinet used the Andhra Pradesh Public Security Act, 1992, to extend the ban on the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and its front groups for another year.
Industrial and Legal Development: The Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation was given permission to borrow ₹7,500 crore for industrial growth, and five assistant public prosecutor positions were approved for different parts of the state.
The cabinet’s actions show that the new government is serious about keeping its campaign pledges while also dealing with long-standing problems with money and infrastructure to promote overall growth in Andhra Pradesh.