Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi and reiterated a list of demands, which included funds for the Polavaram Project, pending electricity arrears to the state and others.
In a meeting which lasted over an hour, the Chief Minister brought to Modi's attention that Rs 55,549 crore funds for the Polavaram Project have been pending for a long time.
He informed the Prime Minister that in order to speed up the project work, Rs 17,144 crore will be required for the construction of the first phase, which is under consideration by the relevant department.
Though the Union Finance Ministry has given the green signal for Rs 12,911 crore for the first phase, the relief package for the displaced people of 36 villages is yet to be given, he said in a release shared by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) today.
In total, Reddy requested for Rs 17,144 crore for the construction under the first phase. He also requested Modi to immediately reimburse Rs 1,310 crore spent on the project from the state government's own funds.
As per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, Polavaram Irrigation Project has been declared a national project.
According to the Act, the Central government shall execute the project and obtain all requisite clearances including environmental, forests, and rehabilitation and resettlement norms.
The Chief Minister requested the Prime Minister to speed up the disbursal of pending electricity dues from Telangana between June 2014 and June 2017 to Andhra Pradesh, amounting to Rs 7,230 crore, especially at a time when Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation (AP Genco) is facing severe financial difficulties.
He also said that 56 lakh families in the state were not receiving fair share of central rations, which is burdening the state government with additional expenditure of Rs 5,527 crore annually and requested him to intervene on the issue immediately. He also requested the Prime Minister to sanction the long pending subsidy dues amounting to Rs 1,703 crore for AP Civil Supplies Department.
Reminding the Prime Minister of pending promises made at the time of united AP's bifurcation, Reddy raised the Special Category Status for Andhra Pradesh.
He appealed to Modi on living up to the promise of according Special Category Status for the state, which brings a host of benefits such as industrial development, job creation and self-sufficiency.
Similarly, he informed Modi that the erstwhile 13 districts in the state have been split into 26 with at least 18 lakh population in each. In order to provide the best medical services in these districts, 17 more medical colleges are being built, he said and sought adequate financial support for them.
Further, Reddy requested for the allotment of three mines to AP Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC) to supply iron ore required for the steel plant promised in Kadapa district.
The steel plant is necessary to improve the livelihood and living standards in the backward Rayalaseema region of the southern state, he said.
The Chief Minister, who arrived in the national capital earlier in the day, apart from meeting Modi, also met Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and deliberated on various issues related to the state, the release said.
-With PTI Input
