Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, G Kishan Reddy, on Thursday accused the Andhra Pradesh government of repackaging Union government projects and claiming credit for them. Speaking to the media in Tirupati, Reddy said that except for Union government programmes, there has been no development in the YSRCP-ruled state. Expressing displeasure over the state claiming credit for such projects and trying to hoodwink the people, he said, “There is no development happening in Andhra Pradesh, except for the schemes offered by the Union government.”
Stating that the Union government has been sanctioning funds and schemes rationally, the Union Minister said that the state government's failure to contribute its share of funding has resulted in the delay of many central schemes that were cleared long ago. “Several central schemes sanctioned long ago were delayed as the state government could not come up with its share of funds,” the Union Minister said . Reddy also recounted the support extended by the Union government to the state in facing the COVID-19 pandemic.
"In addition to vaccine doses required by the state, the Union government also provided 4,500 ventilators to Andhra Pradesh during the peak of COVID-19," he said. Speaking of his ministry's plans, Reddy said that 'Dekho Apna Desh', a scheme aimed at encouraging locals to visit domestic tourism sites, would be launched shortly. Apart from this, the government is also planning a tourism development roadmap for the next calendar year.
Later in the day, Kishan Reddy called on Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at the Camp Office in Tadepalli in Guntur district on Thursday. The Chief Minister along with his wife YS Bharathi has honored the Union Minister and his wife and presented them with some gifts. Endowment Minister Velammpalli Srinivas was present on the occasion.
Meanwhile, Kishan Reddy also launched his three-day ‘Praja Ashirvad Yatra’ an outreach programme by the ruling BJP, in Telangana's Nallabandagudem near Kodad in Suryapet district to propagate the Union government's schemes among people.
With inputs from IANS