Happiness of the poor is the real measure of development: Chief Minister

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu interacting with a woman beneficiary during the ‘Pedala Pattabhishekam’ program organized in Vijayawada Wednesday

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday said that the happiness of the poor is the real measure of development and described the distribution of land rights to nearly 60,000 poor beneficiaries as an unforgettable event in his life.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu waves to people during the ‘Pedala Pattabhishekam’ program organized in Vijayawada on Wednesday

Addressing the ‘Pedala Pattabhishekam’ program in Vijayawada, Mr. Naidu said the degrees were distributed to 28,000 beneficiaries in Visakhapatnam, 5,800 families in Mangalagiri and about 26,000 families in Vijayawada. The land distributed had a combined market value of about ₹52,000 crore, he said.

In Vijayawada alone, titles were issued for 707 acres, covering about 34 lakh square yards and benefiting 12,007 people. Each beneficiary was getting an average of 130 square yards while the total land value was estimated at ₹28,112 crore, he said.

“This is the crowning of the poor and their self-respect,” Mr. Naidu said, urging the beneficiaries to protect the property as an asset for future generations and not sell it.

Mr Naidu also hit out at the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), alleging that the previous government deliberately created disputes over land ownership and made it difficult for people to secure their property rights through the Land Act. The coalition government repealed the law and restored confidence among landowners by making their properties more secure, he said.

When Mr. Naidu probed the YSRCP regarding Amaravati, he alleged that the previous government had opposed the capital project and had written to the World Bank to prevent the funds from reaching it. He accused the opposition of thwarting development projects and spreading misinformation through social media.

Urging beneficiaries to share their experiences of government schemes on social media, Mr Naidu alleged that the opposition was using ‘Paytm batch’ reels to spread misinformation. The accounts of the recipients would expose the campaign, he said.

Referring to the ‘Water Man’ tag used by some media after completion of irrigation projects, Mr Naidu said it gave him more satisfaction than being called ‘Chief General Manager’ in the past. The greater source of satisfaction, he said, was the completion of irrigation projects and provision of water for agriculture and drinking purposes.

Revenue Minister Angani Satya Prasad, Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar, Vijayawada MP Kesineni Shivnath (Chinni), MLAs and MLCs and others were present.

Published – 30 Sep 2026 18:21 IST