Amaravati, Feb 9 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and other Central ministers in New Delhi on Tuesday to discuss state projects and the release of funds.
The Chief Minister was to leave for the national capital on Monday itself and was scheduled to meet five Union Ministers to discuss various issues related to the state, a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said.
Apart from Shah and Sitharaman, Naidu will be calling on Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Naidu’s meeting with Amit Shah assumes significance as the Bill to accord statutory status to Amaravati as the permanent capital of Andhra Pradesh is yet to be tabled in the Parliament.
During the meeting with Amit Shah in New Delhi last month, he had urged the Centre to grant statutory status to Amaravati by introducing a Bill in Parliament, terming it vital for the state’s long-term development and stability.
Emphasising the need for policy certainty, the Chief Minister had said formal legislative recognition of Amaravati would accelerate development and fulfil the aspirations of the people of Andhra Pradesh, while also strengthening investor confidence.
Naidu, who is also the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President, had stated during the TDP Parliamentary Party meeting that the Bill for securing legal sanctity to Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh would be introduced in the Budget session of Parliament.
The TDP is a key partner in the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.
Naidu has already asked his party MPs to make efforts for the development of the state by mobilising additional funds from the Centre.
He is likely to seek special packages or allocation of funds for the development of North Andhra districts and the Rayalaseema region, the Purvodaya scheme, and the Polavaram–Nallamala Sagar projects.
He had told the TDP Parliamentary Party meeting that revised estimates had been submitted for the Polavaram project, and that a sum of Rs 12,000 crore was yet to be received from the Centre.
The Chief Minister is also likely to reiterate his request for flexibility regarding certain aspects of the G-Ram-G scheme, which was recently enacted in place of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA).
During his previous meeting with Amit Shah, he discussed the financial provisions of VB-G-RAM-G and told him that changing the Central and state government funding ratio to 60:40 would negatively impact Andhra Pradesh, which is already facing financial difficulties.
He pointed out that the revised Centre–State funding ratio was placing an additional financial burden on Andhra Pradesh and could adversely affect implementation.
Seeking relief, the Chief Minister requested alternative financial support and flexibility, keeping in view the state’s current fiscal situation.
–IANS
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