Vijayawada: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday said that more than 13.4 lakh poor families had so far been adopted by mentors under the P4 programme aimed at eliminating poverty in the state by 2029.

During a face-to-face interaction with ‘Bangaru Kutumbam’ (Golden Families) and ‘Margadarshulu’ (Mentors) here, the CM stated that every decision made by the coalition government focused on the welfare of the poor. He formally launched the government's ambitious programme on Tuesday.

Naidu explained that while economic reforms created wealth, there was a need to reduce inequality. “The P4 programme has been launched to address this. Out of 1.69 crore families in the state, 21 lakhs are in need of help. The programme is completely voluntary, with 1,41,977 mentors already adopting 13,40,697 families across the state. My target was 15 lakhs,” he said.

The CM launched the Public Private People Partnership (P4) initiative on March 30 in Amaravati, and his government promoted it till now. Under the scheme, financially well-off individuals who volunteer to support economically weaker families are termed ‘Margadarshulu’ while the beneficiaries are referred to as 'Bangaru Kutumbam'. The programme envisages the top 10 per cent of society, adopting the bottom 20 per cent to guide and mentor them out of poverty.

Pointing out that poverty eradication remained the core principle of TDP founder NT Rama Rao, Naidu said: “We believe that society is a temple and people are gods, and we govern with this philosophy. That's why we think about the poor and make decisions for their betterment every day".

The Chief Minister announced that he personally adopted 250 families from his Kuppam constituency. "I am a Margadarshi too. No matter how busy I am as CM and TDP president, I will dedicate time to the families I have adopted," he said.

Naidu urged the ‘Bangaru Kutumbam’ members to make the most of the help they receive and develop themselves. He also called on the mentors to do more than just provide financial assistance. He asked them to give hope and assurance to the families they adopt.

Going forward, the TDP supremo said the government will evaluate the P4 programme to identify the best performing mentors and golden families.

Naidu pointed out that to take up welfare schemes, a state must first create wealth. "We are working hard to create wealth so we can give it to the poor. Our government is implementing welfare on a scale unprecedented in history," he said.

He also announced a new public health programme called Sanjeevani, which will be launched in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "We are bringing Sanjeevani to protect the health of our people," he said.

The event also included a virtual interaction with Telugu people in Saudi Arabia who have come forward to adopt poor families. During the programme, a woman from Krishna district, Pavani, who secured a job at HCL through the P4 programme, became emotional and tearful while expressing her gratitude. As a symbolic gesture of adoption, the Chief Minister presented ‘Adopt Tree’ saplings to the golden families.

P4 Foundation Vice-Chairman Kutumbarao, NRT Chairman Vemuri Ravi Kumar, and other senior officials from the Planning department, were present.