State will be made healthcare hub: CM

• Chandrababu Naidu heaps praises on Apollo Hospitals chief
• Nellore to be developed into an automobile hub
• Efforts to be made for reducing road accidents

Nellore: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said that the State government would strive to make Andhra Pradesh into a healthcare hub by improving and upgrading the medical facilities in the State. Inaugurating the Apollo Hospital near the Children’s Park here on Sunday, he lauded the efforts of Apollo Hospitals Chairman Pratap C Reddy for bringing the corporate hospitals to the doorstep of the common man, thus making the modern medical services available to him.

The Chief Minister heaped praises on Pratap C Reddy for his decision to setup an ultra-modern medical hospital in Chittoor district. He said that some more medical centers would be established in Nellore.

Chandrababu said that the private players should come forward and involve themselves in the development of Andhra Pradesh as the financial position of the state was weak. He said that the government was making efforts to reduce the road accidents in the state. The Chief Minister said that Nellore would be developed into an automobile hub. “The Japanese delegation has already toured SriCity and Krishnapatnam Port,” he recalled.

Congress leader T Subbarami Reddy said that he would offer his services for the development of the district. He heaped praises on Pratap C Reddy for setting up the hospital. He said that leaders should set aside their political differences and come together to develop the new state of Andhra Pradesh.

Speaking on the occasion, Apollo Chairman Pratap C Reddy said that his intention was to improve the medical services in the state and bring the corporate hospitals within the reach of the common man. He said that the Apollo Hospitals have expanded their networks in several important towns and they were taking steps to provide the same level of services in the two-tier cities.

Minister for Municipal Administration Dr P Narayana, MLC Vakati Narayana Reddy, District Collector M Janaki, Vice-Chairman of Apollo Hospitals Kamineni Shobhana, Krishnapatnam CEO Anil Kumar and others were present.

Women celebrities felicitated

Nellore: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday recalled that during his earlier stint he had put together DWCRA groups and they had now flourished into formidable financial force in the State.

After felicitating the women achievers in various fields in connection with International Women’s Day celebrations here, the Chief Minister announced a financial help of Rs. 10,000 to each and every DWCRA groups in the State.

The chief minister felicitated former Member of Parliament Chennupati Vidya for social service, Margadarsi managing director Sailaja Kiran, playback singers L R Eswari and Sunita, yesteryear heroine Shavukaru Janaki, N Rajeswari, ICDS project director M J Nirmala among others.

Hoping that the DWCRA groups would become an organised and disciplined force in the state, the Chief Minister said the government would provide fresh loans to the groups. He recalled that DWCRA groups were entrusted with the sale of sand throughout the State in a bid to financially strengthen them. He announced that every household would have cooking gas connection soon.

Sending warning signal to the anti-social elements, he said that stern action would be taken against those committing atrocities on women. He announced a woman DSP would be appointed in each district to investigate atrocities against women. Girl students of colleges and schools would be trained in martial arts to defend themselves, he added.

The Chief Minister said that the State would achieve hundred per cent literacy rate as against the present 63 per cent. The target has been set to build 13 lakh individual toilets in the next hundred days, he recalled that Speaker Dr Kodela Sivaprasad Rao had personally monitored construction of 20,000 lavatories in his constituency.