Naidu directs officials to take result-oriented approach, says A.P. inherited ₹9.74 lakh crore in debt

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday (May 7, 2026) said the Andhra Pradesh government was pursuing a governance model focused on welfare, development and wealth creation, and directed District Collectors and officials to adopt a result-oriented approach in administration.

Addressing the 7th Collectors’ Conference at the Secretariat, Mr. Naidu said the coalition government had inherited severe financial stress from the previous regime, including debts of ₹9.74 lakh crore, pending bills worth ₹1.30 lakh crore and a diversion of ₹10,000 crore from 94 centrally sponsored schemes.

Despite these challenges, the government was moving ahead with welfare programmes, infrastructure development and economic growth simultaneously, he said. “Welfare, development and wealth creation form a cycle. Without development there is no wealth, and without wealth there is no welfare,” he said.

The government had signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth ₹23 lakh crore with the potential to generate about 24 lakh jobs, he said. Andhra Pradesh was positioning itself as a hub for green energy, green hydrogen, ammonia production, data centres, artificial intelligence and quantum technologies, he added.

Global firms such as Google and ArcelorMittal had selected Andhra Pradesh for major projects, the Chief Minister said, and described the establishment of a Royal Enfield manufacturing facility in the State as a matter of pride.

Mr. Naidu told officials to ensure effective resolution of public grievances and warned against delays in handling non-financial complaints. He directed authorities to complete the cleansing and modernisation of revenue records by March 2027 and stressed the need for “zero-error” land records.

Governance should be measured by public satisfaction rather than the movement of files, he said. “Files should not move, results should move. Office tells you data, field tells you truth,” he said.

The Chief Minister directed Ministers, Collectors and senior officers to spend more time among people and adopt best practices across districts. Successful administrative models from one district should be replicated elsewhere, he said, adding that the quarterly Collectors’ Conference would serve as a performance review mechanism for Ministers and officials alike.

Secretaries should spend at least three days on field visits every month, Heads of Departments six days and District Collectors eight days, he said. He also underlined the importance of social media engagement, public delivery systems and motivating grassroots employees to improve governance.

Mr. Naidu said Andhra Pradesh had attracted 25.3% of the total investments coming into India and was rapidly emerging as a destination for renewable energy and manufacturing. The government had cleared ₹21,000 crore in dues to employees over the last 23 months and paid ₹2,000 crore to contractors, he added.

The speed of governance directly influenced economic growth, he said. “Governance decides the speed of growth,” he said.