Andhra CM Jagan Mohan Reddy meets Amit Shah, seeks funds from Centre

Jagan Mohan Reddy met the Home Minister and discussed the release of pending funds worth Rs 18,969.26 crore to fill in the state’s revenue deficit, among other issues.
Andhra CM Jagan Mohan Reddy meets Amit Shah, seeks funds from Centre
Andhra CM Jagan Mohan Reddy meets Amit Shah, seeks funds from Centre
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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday, reiterating the longstanding demand for Special Category Status for the state. The CM also discussed various other issues, including bifurcation promises and the release of funds from the Centre. 

Jagan also discussed the release of pending funds worth Rs 18,969.26 crore to fill in the state’s revenue deficit, asking Amit Shah to direct the finance department to release the amount immediately. Earlier this month, the NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar had visited Andhra Pradesh's capital Amaravati and expressed deep concern over the state's massive revenue deficit. 

In a release from the Chief Minister's Office, Jagan was quoted as saying, "We did not change the quantum of the budget but have changed the priorities and our priority areas are education, medicare and inclusive growth. As the state revenues, central devolution and fiscal deficit cannot be increased or changed, it is only the Central grant that we can expect to be more liberal.”

Jagan is also reported to have asked for funds for different projects, including the Ramayapatnam port, the Visakhapatnam-Chennai industrial corridor, a petrochemical complex at Kakinada, and the Kadapa steel plant promised during bifurcation. Jagan also asked for the release of funds for seven backward districts of the state, since only Rs 1,050 crore of the total allocation of Rs 2,100 crore has been released by the Centre so far. 

Claiming that reverse-tendering in Polavaram project has resulted in savings of Rs 780 crore in headworks and hydroelectric project, and Rs 58 crore in tunnel works, Jagan asked for grants worth Rs 55,548.87 crore, as per the revised estimates of the Polavaram project. For the current fiscal year, the Andhra CM asked for an amount of Rs 16,000 crore for land acquisition and R&R. He also asked to release Rs 5,073 crore spent on the project by the state government. Polavaram was declared a national project in 2016.

Jagan also reiterated the demand for Special Category Status for Andhra Pradesh, claiming that the slump in service and industrial sectors can only be overcome by granting SCS. 

Citing the water crisis in the Rayalaseema and Krishna delta regions and the fall in water levels of Krishna river, the Chief Minister also sought Amit Shah to issue orders to the relevant departments to begin the project to supply Godavari flood water to Nagarjuna Sagar and Srisailam projects. Earlier in September, Jagan had met his Telangana counterpart K Chandrasekhar Rao to discuss the diversion of Godavari waters to Krishna River via interlinking. The two CMs had decided to go ahead with the process, with less land acquisition.

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