AP posts 12.26% GROWTH IN Q1

Andhra Pradesh economy grew at a rate of 12.26 per cent in the first quarter of 2016-17 fiscal, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu informed today. Indian economy saw a growth rate of 7.1 per cent in the April-June period of the current fiscal. It was also informed that in financial year 2015-16, the state's economic growth rate stood at 10.99 per cent, and for this year a target of set 15 per cent (growth) was. Growth rate in agriculture and allied sectors was 22.7 per cent in the first quarter, the Chief Minister told government officials and elected representatives. He addressed them through a teleconference and discussed the state's economy and other issues, a release from the Information and Public Relations Department said. Naidu asked the officials and elected representatives to ensure growth rate in the agriculture and allied sectors was not adversely affected due to drought. "Rainfall deficit in the state in the current season is 9.7 per cent. Hence, conservation measures are vital to ensure water security to all. "We have to ensure no crop gets dried up because of adverse seasonal conditions," the Chief Minister said and recalled the recent mission in Rayalaseema districts where water guns and sprinkler systems were deployed to save standing crops in about four lakh acres. The Chief Minister told officials every government department should achieve its targets during the current fiscal and directed them to submit weekly progress reports.