All poll results reflected people's faith in CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy

Vijayawada: The year has seen Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy emerging as the undisputed leader in terms of popularity by giving priority to welfare schemes, said a statement from Chief Minister's office on Friday.

It said the results of local bodies, Tirupati Lok Sabha and Budvel Assembly bypolls reiterated the faith of people in Jagan Mohan Reddy governance.

"Social justice came in full glare with the election of Koyye Moshen Raju as chairman and Zakia Khanam as his deputy in the Upper House whom the Chief Minister escorted to the Chair," the release said.

The second wave of Covid has shown its impact but the state recovered faster than other states with the strict measures taken and the vaccination drive injecting hope and relief among the people. About 98 per cent of eligible people were administered single-dose and over 90 per cent with a double dose. Extending support to the bereaved families, the Chief Minister had decided to provide jobs on compassionate grounds to kin of the deceased government employees due to Covid-19, the statement added.

It said the Chief Minister visited Delhi twice and discussed wide-ranging issues of state by meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, minister of steel, Dharmendra Pradhan, and minister of railways Piyush Goyal. He also called on Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to resolve water disputes and border issues.

The Chief Minister met Chief Justice of India Justice N V Ramana, during his maiden visit to Vijayawada, it noted.

YSR Lifetime Achievement and YSR Achievement awards were given away to honour common people and institutions for their exemplary services in their chosen fields from farmers to artisans, writers and journalists who were chosen for the awards.

The Chief Minister launched American Corner at Andhra University, to support the students to study abroad by providing educational and cultural opportunities.

On the economic front, the CMO release said, investments including a mega data centre park, a skill university by Adani Enterprises, electric vehicle manufacturing units and battery swapping stations by Kinetic Green Energy and Rs 7,500 crore investment by Jindal Steels are in the offing.

The statement recalled that foundation stone was laid for CenturyPly's largest integrated wood panel manufacturing unit at Gopavaram in Kadapa district, which is being set up at an investment of Rs 1600 crore and for Aditya Birla Fashion Retail Limited at Pulivendula Industrial Park. The Chief Minister also inaugurated YSR Jagananna Mega Industrial Hub, Electronic Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) in Kopparthy which is being developed by the state government at an investment of Rs 1,580 crore. Dixon Technologies, Digicon Solution Limited, Celkon Resolute, Chandrahas Enterprises, UTNPL have also expressed their interest in setting up their plants in the state.

Orvakal airport near Kurnool was inaugurated and was named after freedom fighter Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy. The airport is the state's sixth civilian airport after Vizag, Tirupati, Vijayawada, Rajamahendravaram and Kadapa.

On the education front, the Chief Minister launched the first phase of Nadu-Nedu initiative in schools, which welcomed students in a colourful way after a long break due to Covid, the CMO release said adding that almost 15,715 government schools were modernised. Besides these, he laid the foundation for constructing14 new medical colleges in State, giving a fillip to the health care system, it said.