Amaravati: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday used the concluding session of the two-day Collectors’ Conference to project his government’s performance as a clear break from the past, asserting that the “damaged Andhra Pradesh brand” had been restored within 18 months of the NDA alliance coming to power.

Addressing collectors and superintendents of police, Naidu said the state had signed investment agreements worth a record Rs 21 lakh crore and set clear targets to reduce electricity purchase costs by Rs 1.20 per unit. Launching a sharp political attack on the previous government, he accused it of crippling the power sector by cancelling power purchase agreements, leading to accumulated debts of Rs 1.14 lakh crore and an overall burden of Rs 1.25 lakh crore on DISCOMs and Transco. He said his government had already reduced this burden by Rs 11,320 crore and reiterated that there would be no increase in electricity tariff for consumers.

Strongly defending the proposed establishment of medical colleges under the public-private partnership (PPP) model, the Chief Minister dismissed threats by his political opponents that private partners would be jailed if the government changed. Such statements, he said, reflected “political ignorance.”

Naidu maintained that development across sectors globally had been driven by PPPs, clarifying that assets would remain government-owned, with private entities only operating facilities under strict rules.

He said fees would not rise, seats would increase, and 70 per cent of patients would receive free treatment under the NTR Vaidya Seva scheme, with PPP medical colleges expected to be ready within two years.

On the law and order front, Naidu warned that while political criticism was acceptable, hooliganism would not be tolerated. He directed collectors and SPs to deal firmly with crime, banish notorious rowdies, act against social media-driven character assassination, and ensure faster investigations to improve conviction rates. He ordered the immediate procurement of boats to strengthen coastal security. The Chief Minister underlined that from January 15, all departmental files and government services must be fully online, declaring citizen satisfaction as the sole yardstick of officials’ performance. He said the government, having delivered results through “Speed of Doing Business”, would now roll out a “Speed of Delivering Governance” policy.

Naidu cautioned that he would not rely solely on reports or numbers and would conduct surprise inspections. He described the fifth Collectors’ Conference as “the most effective so far”, with meaningful discussions and best practices from six districts set for being replicated statewide.

He emphasised that governance, accountability, and delivery would define the government’s watchwords going forward.