Naidu Says Andhra Government Spent ₹76,000 Crore On Pensions

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said in Repalle that his government had so far spent ₹76,000 crore on pensions, placing the figure at the centre of a wider welfare-and-development pitch during the NTR Bharosa pensions distribution programme.

Naidu links pensions to ‘justice to the poor’

Mr. Naidu, addressing a public meeting in Repalle in Bapatla district as part of the “service to the poor” initiative, said the government was working with the responsibility of ensuring justice to the poor while simultaneously pursuing development.

He said he believed a Chief Minister should be a “common man” who understood people’s problems and worked to address them.

The Chief Minister said the government was providing economic security to the poor through pensions, and had so far spent ₹76,000 crore on pensions.

He said the government was approaching poverty from a humanitarian rather than merely an economic perspective, and was working to improve living standards.

Mr. Naidu said welfare and development were being pursued simultaneously, setting out pensions, housing, women’s entrepreneurship, infrastructure and investment as parts of the same governance approach.

Monthly pension outreach

Mr. Naidu said he had been taking part in the pension programme on the first of every month for the past 28 months.

He said officials and elected representatives were also reaching out to people on the first day of every month.

His remarks came during the NTR Bharosa pensions distribution programme, where the public meeting was organised in Repalle in Bapatla district.

The Chief Minister’s emphasis on the first-day-of-the-month outreach was presented alongside his statement that pensions were meant to provide economic security to the poor.

Housing and welfare schemes

On housing, Mr. Naidu said 5.5 lakh houses had already been completed and another 5.5 lakh would be constructed soon.

He said housing-site pattas worth ₹52,000 crore had been distributed to poor people across the State.

The Chief Minister also referred to several welfare schemes, including Stree Shakti, Thalliki Vandanam, Deepam and programmes for fishermen and auto-rickshaw drivers, saying they were providing support to different sections.

He said one lakh women under the Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA) had been transformed into entrepreneurs.

Mr. Naidu said the government aimed to enable another five lakh women to become entrepreneurs.

He also said the P4 programme was being implemented to support people at the bottom of the economic pyramid.

Urban, rural and infrastructure works

The Chief Minister said works worth ₹50,000 crore were being taken up in urban areas and ₹11,000 crore in rural areas.

He said capital expenditure was being increased to create wealth.

Roads, railways, ports and airports were being developed, he said.

On irrigation projects, Mr. Naidu said the first phase of the Handri-Neeva project had been completed and water taken up to Kuppam.

He said the first phase of the Veligonda project had brought Krishna water up to Markapuram.

The Chief Minister said the government proposed to complete 36 projects at a cost of ₹35,000 crore over the next three years.

Investment, districts and tourism plans

Mr. Naidu said the government had secured investments worth ₹22 lakh crore, which were expected to generate 20 lakh jobs.

He said ₹1 lakh crore would be invested in developing 10 districts, including Prakasam.

Rayalaseema was being developed as a global horticulture hub, he said.

Mr. Naidu also said Surya Lanka beach in Bapatla would be developed as a major tourist destination.

He said the aim was to make Surya Lanka beach a landmark on the national tourism map.

Revenue Minister Anagani Satya Prasad, Bapatla district Collector V. Vinod Kumar and other officials, public representatives and leaders participated in the programme.

The remarks were published on October 01, 2026 at 04:09 pm IST.

Source: The Hindu