Andhra Pradesh’s reservoirs hold 57% of their capacity against 85% at this time last year, after a rainfall deficit of 54% this season, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said on Thursday (September 10, 2026), telling district Collectors that water security had become the year’s major challenge and that drinking water supply could not be compromised.

“It is during a crisis that the leadership of Collectors should come to the fore,” he said, asking them to shed their egos, work as public servants and focus on delivering results rather than merely conducting reviews. He called for a shift from reactive to proactive governance and said that pending files and complaints should be treated as pending development and pending justice respectively.

Addressing the inaugural session of the eighth District Collectors’ Conference in Amaravati, Mr. Naidu also called for greater use of PMDS and natural farming to bring every acre under cultivation and asked officials to identify new sources of income for districts. He cited Konaseema, traditionally known for coconut and paddy, as an example of a region that needed to explore new avenues to improve incomes.

Mr. Naidu said the government had introduced 28 new policies and undertaken several structural changes during the past 27 months to unlock the State’s potential. The results of these reforms were now becoming visible, he said. “Let us move from review to results and from intention to implementation,” he said.

He asked Collectors to identify the top 25 projects in every district and 10 to 15 priority projects in every Assembly constituency and ensure their timely completion.

Mr. Naidu said Andhra Pradesh had recorded a growth rate of 13.44% at current prices, with 2022-23 as the base year, and called for efforts to take the growth rate to 15%. GST collections had increased by ₹25,450 crore over the previous year, he said.

He said the government had spent about ₹1.40 lakh crore on welfare and ₹1.50 lakh crore on development during the 27 months. Programmes such as Rayalaseema Rising, Coastal Andhra Future and Uttarandhra Dreams were being pursued to address regional disparities and promote growth.

Listing major infrastructure achievements, the Chief Minister said the Handri-Neeva project, Phase-I of the Veligonda project, the Polavaram Left Main Canal and the Bhogapuram international airport had been completed. He said the Polavaram project would be completed and dedicated to the nation by March 2027.

Mr. Naidu said the government was implementing reforms in the Revenue Department and resolving even century-old land issues. He referred to the decision taken on ground-rent lands in Amalapuram, dating back to 1908, under which pattas had been issued to 1,416 families. He set a target of making Andhra Pradesh a State free of land disputes by 2027.

Stressing leadership, the Chief Minister said the State had resources and technology but leadership gaps existed in some places. He called for capacity-building among employees and said about 1.50 crore training courses had been conducted so far.

Technology should be used to accelerate decision-making and improve the quality of public services, he said, referring to systems such as the Data Lake and AI-based governance platforms. “Deep-tech governance” could help the government achieve unprecedented results, he added.

Mr. Naidu also asked officials to respond swiftly to misinformation and what he described as fake campaigns. “If a problem is hidden, it becomes bigger. If it is discussed openly, a solution can be found,” he said, asking officials to present facts rather than reports intended to mislead the government.

Referring to the controversy over the recent DSC recruitment, the Chief Minister said there had been no irregularities in the recruitment process and that appointments under the sports quota had been made according to the rules. He praised two women officials for effectively responding to the allegations.

Mr. Naidu said the government’s achievements were not the result of any one individual but of the collective efforts of Ministers, officials, employees and elected representatives. He acknowledged the cooperation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan in achieving the results.

Speaking about his focus on water conservation and water security, Mr. Naidu said he was pleased to have been described as a “Waterman” by a media house. He said linking rivers such as the Godavari, Cauvery, Mahanadi and Ganga and creating a national water grid could make India’s development “unstoppable”.

He asked Collectors to make the best use of their tenure and leave behind a positive legacy in their districts. “I want good governance, not just administration,” he said, asking departments, districts, secretaries and Collectors to compete with one another in adopting best practices and improving public services.

Concluding his address, Mr. Naidu called for a common approach to governance: “One State, One Vision, One Team, One Mission, that is Swarna Andhra.”