The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to have a separate budget for agriculture and allied sectors for 2014-15 on the lines of Karnataka, Information Technology Minister Palle Raghunatha Reddy said here on Monday.
Briefing reporters after the State Cabinet meeting, which was presided over by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Mr. Reddy said a separate budget on agriculture, horticulture, sericulture and animal husbandry would be presented in the Assembly during the budget session beginning on August 18. He said the State Budget would be presented on August 20.
The Cabinet also decided to increase the upper limit for cashless treatment at hospitals to government employees and the poor under the NTR Aarogya seva to Rs. 2.5 lakh. It also intends to extend the facility to media personnel. In a bid to improve health care and sanitation, a committee comprising RMO, hospital superintendent, administrative officer and a nominee of the local MLA will be constituted for hospitals.
On the decision to provide round-the-clock power from October 2, he said at present there was a deficit of just one million units, as 142 MUs were generated as against the demand for 143 MUs on Monday. He said the full demand of 140 MUs was met on August 8 in Andhra Pradesh in an unprecedented manner.
PowerHe added that 200 MW of power was being supplied from Jhajjar NTPC in Haryana and another 125 MW was being purchased from Meenakshi power project in Nellore district. In a bid to curb transmission losses, 9,000 feeders were being computerised, and the process was already completed for 1,000 of them.
The Cabinet also decided to give a special thrust and formulate programmes to implement four missions - Pollam Pilustondi, Badi Pilustondi, Neeru Chettu and poverty elimination - by involving women Self Help Groups (SHGs). To ensure that the programmes were properly implemented, the Ministers will visit all districts.
It was also decided to promote temple tourism and step up implementation of 100-day action plans announced by each Mnister. Orders were issued for completion of Aadhaar seeding by the month-end since all benefits were linked to it.
Mr. Reddy denied reports that there was a move to carve out a separate tribal district in the State. No such proposal was under the government’s examination, and people need not get agitated over the issue, he added.
