Displaced Families’ Sacrifice for Veligonda Project Will Never Be Forgotten, Says CM Naidu

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday released ₹300 crore in rehabilitation and resettlement assistance to families displaced by the Poola Subbaiah Veligonda Project , describing their contribution as crucial to the state's long-term water security and agricultural development.

The amount was directly credited to the accounts of 2,351 displaced families from villages affected by the project. Addressing a public gathering, the Chief Minister said the sacrifices made by these families would benefit future generations by enabling irrigation for nearly 4.5 lakh acres and providing drinking water to around 23 lakh people across several districts.

Naidu said the government aims to complete the first phase of the Veligonda Project by July 31 , after which water will be released to irrigate 1.19 lakh acres and provide drinking water to nearly four lakh people. Upon completion of the second phase, irrigation coverage will expand significantly, benefiting an additional 3.2 lakh acres .

Calling Veligonda a historic infrastructure project , the Chief Minister said its estimated cost stands at ₹10,580 crore , of which ₹6,736 crore has already been spent. Since coming to power in 2024, the coalition government has spent ₹759 crore on rehabilitation measures and sanctioned another ₹905 crore for displaced families.

At another public meeting in KS Palem, Naidu announced that the 'Talliki Vandanam' scheme would be launched in July, providing ₹15,000 annually for every school-going child . He also outlined the government's ambitious 'Sanjeevani' digital health programme , scheduled for rollout from August 15 , which will integrate healthcare services through a unified digital platform offering appointments, follow-up care, virtual consultations and digital health records.

The Chief Minister said screening for non-communicable diseases had already been completed for 2.6 crore people . He also encouraged farmers to adopt natural farming , noting that nearly 20 lakh acres in Andhra Pradesh are already under such cultivation.

Naidu further urged young people to develop skills in Artificial Intelligence and quantum computing , called for the responsible use of water resources, and assured farmers that there was no shortage of urea in the state. He also criticised the opposition over issues relating to Amaravati and defended the government's development agenda, stressing that welfare, infrastructure and economic growth would remain its top priorities.