Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday made a spirited defence of the government’s decision to acquire huge chunks of land for the new capital saying that it was not proper to build it in a remote jungle.

Replying to the debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor’s address in the Assembly, he mentioned that Mumbai was spread across 1,49,000 acres, Delhi (3,66,000 acres), Chennai (1,05,000 acres), Benguluru (1,83,000 acres), Hyderabad (1,54, 441 acres) and Jaipur (1,60,000 acres). “Politics is not permanent but what we do for people is permanent,” he said. He said the Singapore government agencies would prepare the master plan for the core capital region in an extent of 40,000 acres. He said 220-km Outer Ring Road (ORR) was being built across Tenali, Guntur, Gannavaram and Vijayawada. Declaring that the proposed capital would be world class, and one of the best in the world, he lauded the farmers who had voluntarily given lands for building the capital and asserted that the government would always stand by them.

Outlining his vision to the make A.P. among three top States by 2022, the best State in the country by 2029 and preferred global destination by 2050, the Chief Minister said the Centre was likely to come out with some more incentives for AP. He said the State Government was trying to get various assurances of the Centre fulfilled at the earliest. The Polavaram project would be completed in four to five years.

Mr. Naidu made light of the demand of by YSR Congress that the TDP should pull out its Ministers from the Union Cabinet saying it was a minute’s job and would not serve any purpose.

He announced that pensions to the poor would be delivered at their doorsteps in couple of months by introducing biometric system and providing a tablet PC to each panchayat secretary. He said the government had identified 40 growth engines to boost the economy and target double digit growth by next year and declared that special focus would be on development of Rayalaseema region and north Andhra districts. The Chief Minister said a separate Sub-Plan for BCs would be introduced .