Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday stressed that village development should be driven at the state level, citing West Godavari district’s Pedhamanayvani Lanka (PM Lanka) as a successful model. Addressing a public gathering during her district tour, she said the village’s progress was made possible largely due to strong participation from women, adding that she feels a sense of belonging as the “daughter-in-law of PM Lanka” and the “daughter of Andhra Pradesh.”

As part of her visit, Sitharaman inaugurated the CSIENT AI and Future Skill Hub housed in a newly built digital facility at PM Lanka. Speaking at the event, she said the centre was established to equip women, farmers and youth with future-ready skills. The hub offers smart classrooms, drone training facilities, open-source AI tools, real-time tracking systems and a centralised learning management platform to enhance employment opportunities.

The Finance Minister said PM Lanka and Toorthallu villages were adopted under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision. While public cooperation was limited in addressing drinking water issues in Toorthallu, she noted that women’s support played a key role in PM Lanka’s development. A digital building was constructed in the village to serve both panchayat needs and public safety during cyclones and floods.

Highlighting skill development efforts, Sitharaman said training in 13 different trades has been provided under the PM Vishwakarma scheme since last year, enabling many youths to secure employment. She revealed that among 700 districts surveyed nationwide for PM Vishwakarma training performance, Badgaon in Jammu and Kashmir ranked first, while PM Lanka secured second place.

She also announced that a protective wall is being constructed at a cost of ₹13.75 crore to prevent coconut plantations from being damaged by sea waves, with the project expected to be completed by Sankranthi. Sitharaman attributed the village’s progress to the “double engine government” at the Centre and state.

Union Minister of State Bhupathi Raju Srinivasa Varma, State Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu, Government Whip Bommidi Naykar, BJP state president PVN Madhav and local MLAs attended the programme.

CM Meets Finance Minister

Much later in the day, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had a meeting with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at Gannavaram airport following the completion of her tour of West Godavari. They talked over a number of issues concerning Andhra Pradesh.