Amaravati, Oct 3 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has set a 15 per cent growth rate for the state and directed the officials of various wings to achieve it by bringing all sectors back on track, adopting the latest policies.

Chairing a review meeting on the progress of agriculture, allied sectors, industry and service sectors on Thursday, the Chief Minister felt that almost all the sectors moved in reverse trend following the destructive policies adopted by the previous government, as a result of which the economic sector totally collapsed.

Recalling that the state achieved a growth rate of 13.7 per cent during 2014-19 despite having certain problems post-bifurcation of the state, the Chief Minister regretted that with the reverse decisions taken by the YSRCP that came to power later, the growth rate fell down deeply to 10.59 per cent.

In 2019, the difference in growth rate between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh was merely 0.20 per cent, but this has gone up to 1.5 per cent by 2024, Chandrababu Naidu said.

While the per capita income was 13.21 per cent during the past TDP regime, it fell down to 9.06 per cent during the previous government, the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister pointed out, expressing concern that the living conditions of the people had hit hard with the fall in per capita income.

The Chief Minister said that the officials of all the departments should realise the fact that Andhra Pradesh stood in the fifth position in the South in per capita and thus set a clear target for themselves by formulating a vision. Certain wings are lagging far behind and there is every need for them to become active, the Chief Minister said.

When the officials explained in detail the condition of their respective departments in the past 10 years, Chandrababu Naidu said that the state government is now adopting new policies in all the departments and the officials should achieve economic progress by implementing these policies.

The Chief Minister made it clear that the officials should adopt a system not only to improve the living conditions of the people and to take forward the economic condition of the state but also ensure that there is no additional burden on the people.

He was of the opinion that the expenses in farming can be brought down considerably by adopting comprehensive mechanisation.

The primary responsibility of the government is not only extending welfare measures to the people but also increasing the revenue of the people by strengthening the respective sectors, he added.

Revealing that the P-4 system will be implemented from January next, Chandrababu Naidu said that through this, those who are at the top position financially should extend their helping hand for uplifting at least 10 per cent of the people.

Besides the welfare schemes being implemented by the state government, the rich and the organisations should act as mentors to improve the living conditions of the poor, Chandrababu Naidu said.