Amaravati, May 2: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday heaped praise on Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for his technology initiatives and revealed that as the newly-elected Chief Minister of Gujarat, he used to closely monitor them.

Addressing the public meeting after re-launching Amaravati capital works here, the Prime Minister said that he learnt a lot from the initiatives taken by Naidu when the latter was the Chief Minister of united Andhra Pradesh.

"When I was newly elected Chief Minister of Gujarat, I was very closely monitoring what initiatives Chandrababu Naidu was taking in Hyderabad. I learned a lot, and today, I got the opportunity to implement them," the Prime Minister said.

Naidu became emotional when the Prime Minister was praising him.

The Prime Minister was responding to the words of appreciation used by Chandrababu Naidu for him during his speech.

"Technology means only Narendra Modi Ji. No other politician can understand technology. Only Modi Ji is understanding technology,” said the Chief Minister while referring to his initiatives to promote semiconductors, the Jan Dhan Model, integration of Aadhaar with mobile, and UPI.

Stating that he started HITEC City in Hyderabad, Naidu told the Prime Minister that he was now starting Quantum Valley in Amaravati. "We are focusing on AI. You are always guiding me that AI is the gamechanger," he said.

During his speech, the Prime Minister also praised Naidu for adopting future technology, taking up up projects on a large scale and executing them quickly with efficiency.

The Prime Minister also accepted Naidu’s invitation to attend International Yoga Day on June 21 in Andhra Pradesh. "I am thankful to N Chandrababu Naidu, the Andhra Pradesh government and the people of the state for inviting us to organise the country's most important event for International Yoga Day in Andhra Pradesh. Like I have said, I will perform Yoga on June 21 with the people of Andhra Pradesh," he said.

The Prime Minister, who laid foundation stone or inaugurated projects worth nearly Rs 60,000 crore, stated that he sees Amaravati not just as a city but dream coming true. He termed the projects a strong foundation of Andhra Pradesh's aspirations and Viksit Bharat's hopes.

"Amravati is the capital of Indralok, and it is not merely a coincidence that Amravati is the capital of Andhra Pradesh. It is a sign of the establishment of Swarna Andhra," he said.

The Prime Minister said that "Swarna Andhra" will strengthen the pathway for Viksit Bharat, and Amravati will empower the vision of "Swarna Andhra".

"Amaravati is going to be a city where the dreams of the youths will get fulfilled. Amaravati will emerge as a leading city in sectors such as information technology, artificial intelligence, green energy, clean industry, education and healthcare," he said, adding that the Central government is providing all the assistance to the state government to provide the infrastructure needed for these sectors.

PM Modi said NTR (TDP founder and former Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao) envisioned a developed Andhra Pradesh. "Together, we need to make Amaravati and Andhra Pradesh the growth engine of Viksit Bharat. We need to fulfil the dream of NTR Garu," he said.

He claimed that during the past 10 years, India has focused on physical, digital and social infrastructure. He noted that India is among those nations whose infrastructure is developing rapidly, and Andhra Pradesh is also getting benefits from this.

"From the Red Fort, I said that the four pillars of Viksit Bharat are going to be the poor, farmers, youths, and women. For the NDA government, these four pillars are very important, and we are especially focusing on developing the farmers. In the last 10 years, the central government has spent Rs 12 lakh crore to provide cheap fertilisers, and we also provided modern seeds to the farmers."

The Prime Minister was all praise for the people of Andhra Pradesh. "There is no shortage of people who dream in Andhra Pradesh, and no shortage of those who fulfil those dreams. I can also proudly say, today Andhra Pradesh is on the right path. Andhra has picked up the right speed, now we must continuously accelerate this growth speed."

The Prime Minister, who laid the foundation for a missile test range in Andhra Pradesh, also observed that India's strength lies not only in its weapons but also in its unity.

"This spirit of unity is strengthened through our 'Ekta Malls.' Ekta Malls are being built in many cities across the country. I am happy that now an Ekta Mall will also be built in Visakhapatnam. In this Ekta Mall, products made by artisans and handicraft workers from all over the country will be available under one roof."

--IANS

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