e-Pragati CORE a great way to review progress: AP CM

Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) [India], Jan 19 (ANI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu while launching the e-Pragati CORE platform opined that it would enable efficient review of achievements and shortfalls of the government.

Naidu, while addressing the gathering at the Collectors Conference here on Thursday said the platform, which is a common portal for all citizen services online, aims to be a single source of truth and one portal to monitor everything, from insights to action.

"This is a great way of reviewing our shortfalls and achievements. This meeting gives us a clear idea of strategies regarding communication, and convergence," he said.

Talking about the progress of the state, Naidu mentioned that the state has been growing steadily over the years, achieving growth rates of 8.5 percent in FY 2014-15; 10.95 percent in FY 2015-16, and 11.6 percent in FY 2016-17. Furthermore, in the first half of the current financial year, the registered growth rate is 11.37 percent, he said.

Highlighting the necessity of improving the contribution of the agricultural sector to the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), Naidu said the state has been following and successfully implementing strategies like water management and conservation for agriculture.

"Our strategy is to move on to horticulture, livestock and aquaculture. The state took great care of water management and results are visible. The agricultural sector's growth rate in the first half of the fiscal year is 25.6 percent. However, for better GSDP, we must also focus on industrialisation and uplifting service sector. There are 40 sectors with a direct contribution for GSDP and we must increase focus on each of them," he said.

Naidu further stated that fertilizer consumption has come down considerably and saved Rs 125 crores for the government of India and usage of chemical fertilizers has come down by 1.43 metric tonnes.

Naidu, while shedding light on the future of the state, said 41 lakh acres of land is being cultivated, which is expected to reach 1 crore acres of agricultural land.

"Agriculture has registered a growth of 18.6 percent. However we must aim for 25-30 percent," he said.

The Chief Minister also released a calendar on the theme, energy-conservation during the conference. (ANI)