At the fourth Niti Aayog Governing Council meeting at Rashtrapati Bhavan with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Chair, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu raised several pending issues for the State on Sunday, including that of Special Category Status (SCS).
In a span of 20 minutes, he raised pressing issues like the bifurcation-related Special Category Status, capital city, Polavaram project, revenue deficit, pull back of Rs. 350 crore relating to backward areas development fund and the many other pending issues.
Explaining how his State was lagging behind in terms of development compared to other southern States, he elaborated on why there was no rise in the per capita income despite constant efforts.
Mr. Naidu reminded that people of Andhra Pradesh never wanted division of the State and that it was a unilateral stand of the Centre. He said the provisions made in the AP Reorganisation Act were yet to be implemented, and went on to say that the Modi Government had failed to fulfill his promises in the last four years. He also pointed out that clarity eluded in several other issues.
Polavaram project
Mr. Naidu demanded that the Centre spell out what kind of special assistance the State would be given. Referring to the Polavaram project, he said the Centre should release, without any further delay, adequate funds for land acquisition and for implementation of the relief and rehabilitation package. It should also initiate measures to ensure that the project is completed within the stipulated time frame, by 2019.
He said Andhra Pradesh did not have a capital after its division. To construct a new capital the State would need funds. He said AP was planning for a greenfield capital and Centre should grant funds adequately for it.
Centre’s ‘flip-flop’ on revenue deficit
He said the Modi Government had pulled back Rs. 350 crore of funds allocated for backward areas development and also spoke about what he called Centre’s ‘flip-flop’ on revenue deficit in Andhra Pradesh State. He said the Centre should do the needful to fill the gap.
Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrshnudu, who is in Delhi along with the CM, said the agenda of the meeting should have been discussed with the States.
Speaking to media, he said, "If they do not intend to give us a chance to talk, there is no purpose of this meeting. The agenda should have been set after discussing issues with the States. I am strongly against this unilateral stand of the Centre in a democracy."
Agriculture being one of the issues in the agenda, Mr. Ramakrishnudu referred to the Central Statistics Office (CSO) report and said agriculture growth rate was not more than 2 %. “What are they doing for doubling income growth? The Centre is not giving Minimum Support Price for many commodities, the State has to bear it. For the ones they are giving, it is not full,” he said.
