Jagan accuses Naidu of taking credit for AP’s AEI rise

AMARAVATI: YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy said in a post on X that Andhra Pradesh rose from 10th place in the 2021 Access (In)Equality Index (AEI) report to third in the 2024 report. He called Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s claim “credit chori” and said the progress reflected policies of his government.

Jagan said the index, published by OP Jindal Global University with the Centre for New Economic Studies, assessed states across five areas linked to social and human development. He said the 2021 report used data from before 2019, while the 2024 report drew on figures from 2021 to 2023.

He said Andhra Pradesh’s Health Index position improved from eighth to second, while its Socio-Economic Security ranking rose from 11th to first. In the Legal Recourse category, he said the state moved from 15th place to second. Jagan attributed the changes to welfare programmes, support for private consumption during hardship, and assistance to industry and manufacturing.

Jagan also disputed Naidu’s description of the state’s finances under the previous government, saying the gains came during a period the Chief Minister had described as the state being “on a ventilator.”