The Andhra Pradesh government will supply free power for nine hours to the farmers which will cost an additional burden of around Rs 8,000 crore to Rs 9,000 crore on the state exchequer. A decision to this effect was taken by Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy at a Cabinet meeting held at his Tadepalli camp office on Thursday.
To supply free power to the farmers, the Jagan government has decided to set up solar power plants with a capacity of 10,000 megawatt. The government has already issued an order for setting up the Andhra Pradesh Green Energy Corporation Limited, as a subsidiary of Power Generation Corporation of AP, to erect the 10,000 MW solar power plants. Further, the Cabinet ministers also drew a roadmap to increase the storage capacity in Gandikota reservoir to 26.85 tmcft at a cost of Rs 500 crore.
The Cabinet also decided to provide Rs 18,750 financial aid to people above 45 years and up to 60 years as promised under the party’s ‘Navarathnalu’ programme. Around 25 lakh women are going to benefit under the scheme. We have also decided to spend Rs 18,000 crore for the benefit of pregnant women and children under YSR Sampoorna Poshana and YSR Sampoorna Poshana Plus schemes. Another Rs 153 crore will be spent for setting up the tribal engineering college in Vizinagaram’s Kurupam,” YSRCP minister Perni Nani said after the Cabinet meeting.
The Cabinet meeting also approved a proposal for complete fee reimbursement for eligible students under the Jagananna Vidya Deevena scheme. Earlier, only SC and ST students were eligible for full fee reimbursement. After the changes, all students belonging to any community whose annual family income is less than Rs 2.5 lakhs is eligible for complete fee reimbursement. “We have already disbursed Rs 5,000 crore towards reimbursement. The Cabinet also approved the proposal to set up Telugu Cultural Academy in Tirupati,” Nani said.
The Budget session of the Andhra Pradesh Legislature will begin on June 16. Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan will address a joint sitting of the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly at 10 am on June 16.
Further, the Cabinet meeting has also decided to hold the Assembly monsoon session from June 16. The Business Advisory Committee will meet soon after that and decide on the duration of the session. Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath is expected to present the full Budget for 2020-21 financial year on June 18. The Budget session of the Legislature is normally held in February-March every year but, because of the spread of coronavirus pandemic, the government brought in the Andhra Pradesh Appropriation (Vote-on-Account) Ordinance, 2020 on March 28 authorising an expenditure of Rs 70,994 crore for the first three months of the fiscal.
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