IT Minister Amarnath lashes out at Naidu

Visakhapatnam: Industries and IT Minister Gudivada Amarnath said the debts did not increase during the YSRCP government's tenure as much as it did during TDP's regime.

Speaking to the media in Visakhapatnam on Saturday, he briefed that in the past three years, the debts amounted to Rs 1.15 lakh crore in the state but the Opposition made false propaganda that it was Rs 8 lakh crore.

The minister stated that Rs 1.65 lakh were spent on welfare schemes alone in the state in the past three years.

Gudivada Amarnath pointed out that the TDP chief's immediate help to the victims was zero even during his five-year rule. He said there was no flood relief fund from Naidu's government except the issue of GOs.

The minister alleged that the donations collected in the garb of Hudhud cyclone went to NTR's Trust or Babu's residence. "Chandrababu Naidu is resorting to lies, they include false propaganda on state debts and the help reached out to Hudhud victims in North Andhra region," said Amarnath.

Further, the IT Minister mentioned that 25-kg of rice and Rs 2,000 cash were given to the flood victims as never before by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

The Minister pointed out that Chandrababu's policy is only to loot, share and eat.

Responding to a question on the prohibition of liquor in the state, Amarnath said the YSRCP did not include total prohibition in the manifesto. Earlier, there were 45,000 liquor belt shops in the state, but they were all closed by the YSRCP government, the minister added.

The price of alcohol has been increased with an aim to 'shock' the tipplers and to reduce the consumption in the state, the minister clarified. He said all the schemes in the state score full marks except 0.25 marks were given in the case of alcohol in the party's self-assessment sheet, said Gudivada Amarnath.