Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has instructed officials to achieve the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) targets by formulating plans at both micro and macro levels and to take steps to boost productivity.

Addressing a review meeting on the functioning of the Finance Department at the Secretariat on Thursday, Mr. Naidu advised the officials to strive to achieve 15% growth rate, which was the ultimate target while noting that focus was laid on giving a fillip to agriculture and industries sectors, which were critical to making progress.

He observed that the electricity charges had not been increased in spite of fund crunch and that the coalition government was bearing the ₹4,600 crore burden that resulted from the previous administration’s decisions.

The Chief Minister told the revenue-earning departments to meet their targets without imposing additional burden on the public, and said the completion of projects like Amaravati and Polavaram would create major opportunities for wealth creation.

He asserted that there was no shortage of funds required for the implementation of priority projects, largely due to cooperation from the Central government. Efforts were being made to complete them (the projects) as per the committed timelines.

Further, Mr. Naidu said development projects should be expedited by mobilising funds under various various Central schemes such as Purvodaya and SASCI (Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment).

He also sought funds to be garnered under the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014. All the government departments should enhance efficiency and simplify procedures to attract investments and generate more revenue, he added.

Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav, Chief Secretary G. Sai Prasad, Principal Secretary (Finance) Peeyush Kumar, and Special Chief Secretary to CM K. Vijayanand were present.