CM for leveraging tech for welfare of people

Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reiterated his commitment to leveraging technology to enhance public welfare during a review meeting with the Gates Foundation at the Secretariat on Wednesday. The meeting assessed collaborative programmes in agriculture, education, healthcare, environment, infrastructure, RTGS, Swarnandhra Vision-2047, and governance capacity building.

Naidu emphasised that technology’s true value lies in improving lives through accessible, efficient services. “In today’s digital age, technology accelerates service delivery, but it must reach every citizen, especially the underprivileged,” he said.

By August 15, 95–97 per cent of government services will be online, with initiatives like WhatsApp Governance already in place. He stressed the need to equip citizens to use these services effectively, leveraging the Gates Foundation’s global expertise.

In healthcare, the Chief Minister highlighted rising costs and proposed technology-driven solutions like digitised health records, regular blood tests for early disease detection, and integration with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission. He advocated promoting healthy lifestyles through exercise and yoga to prevent illnesses and early intervention for disabilities and nutritional deficiencies via the ‘Care and Grow’ model.

In education, Naidu called for affordable, quality learning through technological innovation to secure students’ futures. For agriculture, he emphasized real-time data for soil testing and crop sales to empower farmers with informed choices and fair prices. The Chief minister noted Andhra Pradesh’s fourth-place ranking in government employee capacity building, aiming to extend training to the public. He highlighted the state’s MedTech Zone for advanced medical equipment and plans for an AI University in Amaravati, seeking Gates Foundation support to realise this vision.