Andhra Pradesh suffered due to man made disasters between 2019 and 2024, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday. He said Centre has given investments and aid of over Rs 3 lakh crore to the state in last 6 months.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has taken the state forward with good administration, finance and development, Prime Minister Modi has given all help to the state, he said while speaking at the 20th Raising Day of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in Vijayawada.
He also laid foundation stones and inaugurated projects worth Rs 220 crore. These include National South Campus of Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), 10th Battalion of NDRF and Regional Response Centre at Supaul Campus.
He virtually laid the foundation stone of new ‘Integrated Shooting Range’ at National Police Academy in Hyderabad and inaugurated Regional Forensic Science Laboratory building in Tirupati.
When natural calamities strike NDRF comes to rescue and when man made calamities occur Modi government comes to help. Referring to YSR Congress Party rule between 2019 and 2024, Shah said Andhra Pradesh faced significant setbacks due to man made disasters in the five years and the state lost its immense potential.
To make up for the developmental losses during that period, PM Modi and CM Naidu are driving Andhra Pradesh growth at three times the speed. HM Shah said Union Cabinet has approved Rs 11,000 crore for Visakhapatnam Steel Plant to secure the plant’s long term viability and to preserve its status as a pride of Andhra Pradesh.
In last 6 months PM Modi has accelerated efforts to realize Chandrababu Naidu’s vision of Amaravati as state capital by allocating Rs 27,000 crore through HUDCO and World Bank. He said foundation stone for new railway zone has been laid and water from Polavaram, the lifeline of Andhra Pradesh will reach every corner of the state by 2028.
He also mentioned AIIMS hospital project worth Rs 1,600 crore and plans to invest Rs 2 lakh crore to make Visakhapatnam a hub for green hydrogen. HM Shah said in last 6 months highway and infrastructure projects worth Rs 1.2 lakh crore have been approved for Andhra Pradesh.
The Home Minister said that a lot of progress has been made in disaster management through NIDM over the last 10 years. He stressed the need for seamless coordination from Gram Panchayats, police stations, NCC, Scouts cadets to Government of India for effective disaster management on the ground.
He credited PM Modi for bringing about a revolutionary change in approach, methodology and objectives of disaster management. He said the relief centric approach of earlier times has been replaced with rescue centric approach and there is a shift from reactive to proactive approach with a target of zero casualties during disasters and above all minimising losses.
HM Shah said NDRF has become a credible organisation not only in India but globally in a very short time. He said when NDRF personnel arrive during a disaster people feel safe. He said in the last two years NDRF has achieved the target of zero casualties in two major storms.
He said NDRF’s efforts in countries like Nepal, Indonesia, Turkey, Myanmar, Vietnam and others have been widely appreciated by their heads of state. He said NDRF’s implementation of NDMA policies on the ground has made India a global leader in disaster management today.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, Union Minister of Civil Aviation K. Ram Mohan Naidu, Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Home Secretary Govind Mohan and NDRF Director General Piyush Anand were present.
