Centre has initiated measures to declare Amaravati permanant capital city of AP: Governor Abdul Nazeer

VIJAYAWADA: Governor S Abdul Nazeer has asserted that the union govt has initiated the process to introduce legislation to accord statutory status to Amaravati as the permanent capital of Andhra Pradesh. He observed that it is a significant step towards long-term certainty and makes Amaravati, economic powerhouse of the state. Addressing the joint session of AP assembly and legislative council on Wednesday to mark the beginning of the budget session, governor said that Amaravati is being rebuilt with renewed momentum, supported by financial closure of key infrastructure works with support from union govt. “Substantial progress in land pooling, and transparent, technology-enabled processes that have reaffirmed the trust of farmers. To give further stimulus, the state govt has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Singapore govt to establish a framework for cooperation in sustainable urban governance, digital and real time governance, human resource development, and sustainable economic growth, including the building of Amaravati Capital City," claimed governor. The governor said the State has moved “from resurgence to ascendance” after what he described as years of financial stress, institutional weakening and stalled infrastructure. He described implementation of welfare schemes under the “Super Six” guarantees, as one of the largest DBT initiatives globally, involving nearly ₹33,000 crore annually. “Under NTR Bharosa, 63.12 lakh pensioners are receiving enhanced social security. Thalliki Vandanam provides ₹15,000 per annum to over 66 lakh students through their mothers. Annadata Sukhibhava extends ₹20,000 per year to 46.86 lakh farmers, while Deepam 2.0 supplies three free LPG cylinders annually to 1.08 crore poor households. The Sthree Shakti scheme has enabled 37.8 crore free bus journeys for women across the State," said the governor. The Governor said the govt has adopted a “zero poverty” approach through a family benefit management system and will introduce a family card to digitally track benefits. He said that over one lakh Margadarsis have adopted 10.30 lakh “Bangaru Kutumbalu” under the P4 (Public–Private–People Partnership) initiative to help families achieve permanent economic mobility. He reiterated the commitment to complete Polavaram before June 2027 and advance Handri–Neeva, Nallamala Sagar and river-linking projects. He explained that the State is also pushing metro rail projects in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada, while new high-speed rail corridors announced in the union budget will pass through Andhra Pradesh, boosting connectivity. The governor said that 610 MoUs worth ₹13.25 lakh crore have been signed at the CII Summit, with potential to generate 16.13 lakh jobs. Investments worth ₹8.74 lakh crore have been cleared through SIPBs. Future-ready projects such as Quantum Valley in Amaravati, Green Hydrogen hubs, semiconductor ecosystems, and industrial corridors are being positioned as growth engines. Highlighting financial stabilisation, the governor said GSDP has risen to ₹17.62 lakh crore in 2025–26 from ₹15.91 lakh crore last year, marking 10.75 per cent nominal growth. Per capita income increased to ₹2.95 lakh. Growth was driven by agriculture (7.83%), industry (9.53%) and services (12.94%). The Governor said that Andhra Pradesh is on a calibrated path of fiscal discipline, technology-driven governance, welfare expansion and long-term infrastructure creation, aimed at making the State “wealthy, healthy and happy” by 2047.