Andhra Pradesh’s Minister for Human Resources Development Nara Lokesh said on Thursday that Union Minister of Steel and Heavy Industries H. D. Kumaraswamy’s categorical statement ruling out privatisation of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) has brought immense joy to people of the state.
Lokesh thanked the union minister for ‘upholding the sentiments of Andhra Pradesh and safeguarding the VSP’.
“The statement by the Hon’ble Minister, categorically stating that privatisation is not on the table, has brought immense joy to our people. Surely, it has also frustrated the dishonest blue media and foiled their attempts to create unrest in the state with their fake, anti-AP narratives. It’s as if YS Jagan and the blue media are trying to outdo the other in a race of “who’s more fake & deceitful,” Lokesh posted on ‘X’.
Lokesh, son of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, was reacting to the statement made by Kumaraswamy after visiting the public sector undertaking.
“The Telugu Desam Party and the NDA govt are devoted to the people of Andhra Pradesh. Ours is a government for the people, and we prioritize meeting their expectations above all else,” said Lokesh, who is also General Secretary of TDP.
Earlier, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu stated that was seriously thinking as to how to safeguard the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.
Addressing a meeting after visiting the left bank canal of the Polavaram project at Darlapudi in Anakapalle district on Thursday, he said that one particular party which has no other work than spreading rumours, is cooking stories that he has agreed to sell the plant.
He claimed that he firmly resisted when there were proposals at a time to privatise the steel plant.
“Visakha Vukku is Andhrula Hakku (Visakha steel is the right of Andhras),” he said.
He stated if the North Andhra Sujala Sravanthi is complete every acre in the region will get water for irrigation.
He announced that the tenders will soon be called for to begin the left bank canal works. “Initially irrigation water will be supplied to 2.2 lakh acres by completing the works in the first phase with Rs 800 crore. If the Krishna, the Godavari, the Pennar and the Vamsadhara rivers are interlinked the State will never face any kind of drought situation,” the Chief Minister said.
The Chief Minister regretted that the previous government had totally made the State go bankrupt in all ways. With the inefficiency of the previous government three sugar mills were closed, he said and promised to do justice to the sugarcane farmers.
The Chief Minister assured the people that the super-six promises too will soon be implemented and said that the state government will stand by every family. “We have not completed even 30 days by coming to power but already the revised pension from Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 has already been distributed to the beneficiaries, along with the arrears,” he said.