Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi and discussed various issues related to the state.
He reiterated the demand for Special Category Status so that industries prefer Andhra Pradesh to Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai.
He said the state’s bifurcation had adverse effects on the services and industrial sectors and these problems can be overcome only by Special Category Status.
Jagan, as the YSR Congress Party chief is popularly known, also sought release of Rs 18, 969.26 crore towards assured revenue deficit for 2014-15
According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office in Amaravati, he noted that the announced revenue deficit was Rs 22,948.76 crore but the Central government is yet to pay Rs 18,969.26 crore to the state.
Jagan also appealed to the Centre to grant Rs 55,548.87 crore as per the revised estimates of the Polavaram project. He pointed out that out of the mentioned amount, land acquisition and Relief and Rehabilitation (R&R) itself requires Rs 33,000 crore. He also sought release of Rs 5,073 crore spent by the state government.
He wanted the Centre to give Rs 16,000 crore for land acquisition and R&R during the current financial year.
Stating that out of Rs 2,100 crore allocated for seven backward districts, the state received only Rs 1,050 crore, he sought release of the remaining amount.
Jagan also raised the demand for diverting Godavari flood water to Nagarjuna sagar and Srisailam projects across Krishna river. By doing this, the problem of water shortage for drinking and irrigation in Rayalaseema and Krishna delta regions can be resolved, he said.
He also sought funds for various projects like construction of the port at Ramayapatnam in Prakasam district, the Visakhapatnam-Chennai industrial corridor, the petrochemical complex at Kakinada, and urged the Centre to set up steel plant in Kadapa as promised at the time of bifurcation.
