If the state government today is able to manufacture Covid-19 testing kits and ventilators in Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ), it is thanks to the vision of TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu who envisioned setting up AMTZ when he was the state chief minister, former TDP minister Devineni Uma said on Wednesday
He said AP is the only State in the country that has successfully started manufacturing corona virus testing kits and ventilators, essential to contain the spread of the pandemic and the credit should go to Naidu for being the brainchild behind the project, Devineni Uma said. When Naidu dreamt of setting up Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ), the YSRCP leaders criticized the former chief minister calling his vision myopic, he added. The senior TDP leader said the state government under the chief ministership of Chandrababu Naidu had started the Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone Limited in order to cut dependency on imported devices and reduce the cost of manufacturing. The project was aimed to put India on the global map of high end medical equipment production and make health care products affordable and accessible, Devineni Uma said.
On Wednesday, AP industry and commerce minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy took a dig at Naidu saying the AMTZ was ignored by TDP president and N Chandrababu Naidu during his regime as the chief minister. “It was Y S Jagan who revived the project,” he claimed.
Reacting sharply to Goutham Reddy’s comments, Devineni said ‘“It is such a shame that Goutham Reddy today crediting Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy for rolling out Covid-19 testing kits and ventilators from AMTZ. The same people who are praising Jagan now once criticized Naidu for dreaming of the project,” Uma said.
The AMTC has started to manufacturing 2,000 testing kits for COVID-19 per day, making the State not only self-sufficient but also would be supplying testing kits to the entire country. The capacity will be increased to 25,000 per day.
He also accused Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy of showing keenness to see his full page photos in media rather than resolving the field level problems of the lockdown-afflicted people and frontline warriors treating the virus infected patients. Crores worth advertisements are being given to Sakshi very frequently while the poor people are not getting enough assistance, virus prevention not being given necessary funds and farmers suffering heavy losses.
Umamaheswara Rao demanded that the government release necessary funds and provide all required personal protection equipment to the doctors and health workers treating the patients.
