Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) vice-president Kolanukonda Shivaji on Thursday slammed the State government for allegedly splurging money on the two-day CII Partnership Summit-2025 at Visakhapatnam.
In a statement, the Congress leader questioned the ‘rationale’ behind spending lavishly on such events when the State’s financial condition was already in deficit. Citing the use of three helicopters and foreign trips by the Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues, he said these expenditures would benefit only event managers and not the State treasury or the public.
He said that in the past too, the YSRCP, with Jagan Mohan Reddy at its helm, had organised similar partnership summits where people showed up in suits and ties and most of the activity revolved around lavish lunches and gift exchanges. Mr. Shivaji said the Congress party was opposed to such superficial events which did not ensure any welfare for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes.
The APCC leader pointed out that the State budget stood at ₹3.5 lakh crore. He said that by building 17 medical colleges and spending nearly ₹6,000 crore under the government’s management, the State could offer medical education for just ₹4.5 lakh per student. However, due to privatisation, each seat would now cost nearly ₹2 crore. “By investing ₹2,500 crore per year for three years, the government could have ensured employment for around 20,000 people annually, with each doctor supervising at least 10 staff members.
The Congress leader said that while huge concessions were offered to private entities, government-run medical institutions like Guntur Government Hospital and the medical college provide exemplary services. He said that instead of focussing only on establishment of AI data centres and conducting industrial summits that serve only corporate interests, the government should initiate measures that would benefit the common man.
Published – November 13, 2025 10:33 pm IST
