New AP CM vows to deliver, make Rahul PM

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy has said that providing an efficient, clean and transparent governance and improving the delivery mechanism for the benefit of the poor will be among his top priorities.

Addressing his first press conference after taking oath as the 16th chief minister of the state, Kiran Kumar Reddy said he will continue all the welfare schemes launched by late YS Rajasekhara Reddy and included in the Congress manifesto.

"I will give top priority to healthcare and education for the poor," he said.

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To send a clear message to this effect, 50-year-old Reddy's first official programme of the day was to visit the Aarogyasri ward in Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad where the poor patients are treated with the government's financial assistance.

Kiran Kumar Reddy said special attention will be paid to 10 or 12 welfare schemes and programs and targets will be set for their time bound implementation.

"I will review the progress of these schemes and programs like Jalayaganam every three months," he said.

The chief minister also that he will also give utmost importance to maintain law and order to make Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh as a whole the most investor friendly destination in the country.

"This is necessary to ensure the industrial development of the state," he said, appealing to all sections of the people and the opposition parties to extend their cooperation.

"The leader of opposition N Chandrababu Naidu spoke to me over phone and congratulated me. I sought his cooperation for the over all development of the state," he said.

Replying to a question about the demand for separate Telangana state, he said, "I will go by the decision of the high command."

Referring to the apprehensions of trouble breaking out after December 31 over Telangana issue, he said that nobody will be allowed to break the law and violate constitution.

"There will be no compromise on maintaining peace and law and order", he said.

On the expansion of cabinet, Reddy said that he will go to Delhi soon to consult the high command on the issue.

On defiant Congress MP Jaganmohan Reddy's activities, Kiran Kumar Reddy said he was the chief minister of the state and the issue pertains to the Congress party, which will be dealt with by the party leadership. But he said that he will try to take every Congress leader along with him.

When asked what could have made Congress chief Sonia Gandhi prefer him over other senior leaders for the post of the chief minister, he merely said, "I never sought the post".

Interestingly earlier Kiran Kumar Reddy was never a minister in the state before he became the chief minister.