Hyderabad, Feb 13 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Governor E S L Narasimhan today underlined the overall growth achieved by the state even as he skipped contentious issues like the Telangana statehood demand and the series of scandals in which some ministers and legislators were allegedly linked to. The Governor reaffirmed the government's resolve for "speedier and balanced" economic development for delivering the fruits to the needy and the deserving sections (of society). Opposition parties, which walked out of the House midway through the Governor's 35-minute address, were quick to deride him for failing to make a mention of the "burning issues" like corruption and the farmers' misery. He was delivering the customary address to the joint session of the state Legislature marking the inauguration of the Budget session. The Governor noted that all the three sectors of the state economy have shown impressive growth during the 11th Plan so far with overall economic growth touching 8 per cent in the first four years of the Plan period. "In recent times, the economy of Andhra Pradesh has been showing definitive positive growth trends and is inching close towards the national trends. Relentless efforts of the governments over the previous five-year plans have started paying dividends slowly, yet surely," Narasimhan said. The agriculture sector, which was rather sluggish during the 10th Plan period, showed definite improvement and recorded a growth rate in excess of 7 percent during the first four years of the 11th Plan, he added. The per capita income of the state has more than doubled in the last five years and stood at Rs 60,484 at current prices, which was more than the all-India per capita of Rs 54,835. Referring to industrial development, the Governor said the state was able to achieve a growth rate of 9.22 per cent as against the national average of 7.16 per cent despite slowdown of economy at the global and the national levels. (More)
