Kurnool: The industries minister T.G. Bharath instructed officials on Saturday to effectively implement the Swarnandhra Vision-2047 programme, carefully verify the eligibility of beneficiaries under the Margadarshi-Bangaru Families scheme, and ensure their selection. He reviewed with officials and stressed that by 2029, all eligible people in the constituency should be provided houses and directed the preparation of an action plan for development works over the next five years.
He asked officials to inspect the condition of municipal schools and take necessary steps to modernise them. He also suggested special initiatives for the development of parks and resolving the problem of stray electrical wires in the old town. The minister instructed that the walls along main roads be cleaned and painted and sapling planting be accelerated.
He further directed measures to establish parking and vending zones, including utilising the vacant space behind the Punnami restaurant for these purposes. He stressed that encroachments on roads should be removed to improve traffic flow and called for attention to the development of Tidco houses.
Later, the minister participated in the Bhoomi Puja for the Viral Research Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) on the premises of Kurnool Medical College and stated that comprehensive efforts are underway to develop Kurnool Government General Hospital into a facility with corporate-level medical services. He noted that many eminent doctors have emerged from this institution and stressed the importance of upgrading the hospital.
As part of these efforts, permission has been secured for constructing a virology lab, and a 120-slice CT scanner has recently been commissioned. The minister explained that the government currently pays about Rs 30 lakh per month to a private scanning service provider and is now planning to establish an in-house scanning facility.
VRDL Officer Dr. Renuka said the new lab will test for dangerous diseases such as flu, dengue, malaria, and Covid-19, and the lab will be built with `60 lakh in central funds and completed in three months.
The minister also inaugurated the Doctor Certificate Registration Unit at GGH, making it possible for doctors to complete registrations, re-registrations, and related services in their own districts instead of travelling to Vijayawada.
AP Medical Council chairman Dr. Dagumati Srihari Rao explained that re-registration, which previously cost `40,000–50,000, will now be `6,000 for those over 75 and `8,000 for others. Renewals can be done three months before expiry, and those who have completed biometric verification can renew online.
