Naidu, Sitharaman to lay foundation for ₹1 lakh crore Rayalaseema Horticulture Hub at Madanapalle on October 2

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi. The two will lay the foundation stone for the Rayalaseema Horticulture Hub at Madanapalle on October 2. File | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman are scheduled to lay the foundation stone for the proposed Rayalaseema Horticulture Hub at Madanapalle on October 2.The Centre will provide ₹40,000 crore in various forms under the Purvodaya scheme for the project, and another ₹60,000 crore is expected to come through private investment, the State government said in a release on Wednesday (September 23, 2026).The project will be implemented in the four erstwhile districts of Rayalaseema, besides Prakasam and Nellore districts. It is aimed at promoting horticulture-related activities in drought-prone areas and increasing farm incomes by creating opportunities in the horticulture sector.The government said the project was being taken up alongside the completion of irrigation projects to provide water for agriculture in the region.The Indian School of Agriculture (ISA) will also be launched at Madanapalle as part of the programme. The institution is being established by Reliance and is intended to provide training and education in agriculture. Part of the Rayalaseema Integrated Horticulture Development Plan, it will focus on artificial intelligence and digital tools in farming, climate-resilient agriculture, post-harvest systems and market intelligence, the Chief Minister told Ms. Sitharaman in July, when he sought the Centre’s support for it. The State signed a memorandum of understanding with the Reliance Group for the school on August 3.Chief Minister’s five-day programmeMr. Naidu is scheduled to take part in a series of programmes from September 29 to October 3.On September 29, he will attend the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) Karmayogi Mission programme in Vijayawada in the morning and the Palle Panduga programme at Udayagiri in Nellore district in the afternoon.On September 30, he will participate in the distribution of house-site pattas to 24,000 beneficiaries in Vijayawada.On October 1, he will attend the ‘Pedala Sevalo’ programme and distribute pensions.On October 2, after laying the foundation stone for the hub at Madanapalle, he will participate in the Swarna Andhra-Swachh Andhra programme. He will also attend the annual Swachh Andhra programme in Vijayawada to mark Gandhi Jayanti.On October 3, the Chief Minister will participate in the PanIIT conference in Vijayawada. Published - September 23, 2026 04:22 pm IST