The 73rd Republic Day was celebrated with caution across South Coastal Andhra on Wednesday.
Wearing face masks, people from different walks of life gathered in public places to celebrate the day when the Constitution came into being, across SPSR Nellore and Prakasam districts, as fresh COVID cases were reported in thousands each day.
Speaking after inspecting a parade, SPSR Nellore District Collector K.V.N. Chakradhar Babu outlined the welfare schemes and development projects implemented in the district as the village secretariat system took the administration to the doorsteps of the people at the grassroots level.
The district stood first in the country by administering the first dose of vaccine to all eligible persons. Irrigation projects including the Penna barrage, Sangam Barrage and upgradation of the Somasila-Kandaleru floodflow canal were all set to become a reality with major part of the works already over. Literacy rate had jumped to a whopping 84% in the district from 68.2% thanks to the ''Akshara Chaitanyam'' drive, said the Collector who was adjudged the Best Returning Officer by the Election Commission for conducting the Tirupati Lok Sabha byelection during the tough COVID times.
In Ongole, Prakasam Collector Pravin Kumar unfurled the national tricolour and highlighted the initiatives undertaken to put the district on the path of progress.
Ramayapatnam port project is all set for anchoring following acquisition of 9,240 acres for sea port and industrial hub. The district stood second in the State in the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme benefitting 6.42 lakh families. As many as 2.10 lakh crore mandays were created by spending ₹731 crore, he said.
The district was fully geared to tackle the third wave of coronavirus by arranging 3,524 beds in 49 hospitals across the district, he added.
Tableaux put on the occasion highlighted the achievements of various government departments. Statesman Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu’s grandson T. Gopalakrishna was honoured on the occasion.
