The Month That Was: April Springs Hectic Activity

Amaravati, April 30: The month had seen the spring of hectic activity with the formation of new districts, a new cabinet in place and the icing on cake coming in the form of roadmap for 2024 given by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy with a graphic detail on how to go about with the mass contact programme.  

April had secured a page in the history with the formation of 13 new districts taking the total to 26, one each for a Parliamentary constituency though the agency area of Araku constituency being divided into two districts on various considerations. 

The additional districts had a flavour of tributes with two of them being named after former Chief Ministers, YSR and NTR. A devotional touch came in the form of Satya Sai, Annamayya and Tirumala and the revolutionary spirit coming alive in the naming of Alluri Seetharama Raju and Manyam Paravthipuram districts. Kuppam was made a revenue division on the request made by former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
With three years of governance on its final lap, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy told the MLAs and Coordinators to take up the mass contact programme and tell people about the promises kept, welfare schemes doled out and the amount transferred under DBT setting tone to  the battle for 2024. 

A new look cabinet took oath with the same composition reflecting social justice while 11 old hands were retained and 14 new faces making it to the cabinet. The swearing in was a colourful event with the new ministers from Ambati Rambabu, starting in alphabetical order, to Vidadala Rajani, taking the oath of office and secrecy administered by Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan in the presence of Chief Minister at the tastefully decorated venue. Taneti Vanita replaced Mekathoti Sucharita as Home Minister while Buggana Rajendranath retained his Finance portfolio. 

The Chief Minister visited Delhi twice and discussed the State issues with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also called on several union ministers in his visit. He also attended the Conference of Chief Ministers and High Court Chief Justices of various states. On the development front, the Chief Minister inaugurated Grasim Industries Limited’s first Chlor-Alkali manufacturing unit in the State which invested Rs 2470 crore providing employment to 2400 people. 

The Chief Minister participated in the video conference held by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the prevailing COVID situation and discussed the preventive measures to control its spread. He also flagged off 500 air-conditioned ‘Dr. YSR Thalli Bidda Express’ vehicles which were made available for pregnant women and new mothers who deliver at Government hospitals for providing free transport. 

Celebrating Telugu New Year, Chief Minister along with his wife YS Bharathi Reddy participated in Ugadi Celebrations. He also attended Sri Sita Rama Kalyanotsavam at Ontimitta and offered pattu vastralu with mutyala talambralu on behalf of the state government at the Kodandaramaswamy temple. He saluted the volunteers for their exemplary services, and felicitated them for being the pillars of the welfare delivery system. 

During the month, the Chief Minister hosted lunch to Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla at his residence and met Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in Visakhapatnam. He also participated in a National workshop on Natural Farming which was organised by Niti Aayog and said a policy should be introduced to encourage Natural Farming. NALCO CMD Sridhar Patra, MIDHANI CMD Sanjay Kumar Jha, Human Rights Commission Chairman president Mandhara Seetha Rama Murthy were among those who met the Chief Minister.
Summing up, the month had seen flurry activity in the form cabinet restructuring, new districts coming into being and Chief Minister asking the Party leaders to brace up for the next bout of elections.