Union Minister for Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu has said 14th Finance Commission is seriously considering the issue of according Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh and when the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh visits New Delhi and meets the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, clarity will come on the issue.
He participated in the foundation stone laying ceremony for National Institute of Technology (NIT) here on Thursday along with Union Minister for Human Resources Development Smriti Irani, Union IT and Communications Minister Sujana Chowdary and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister N. Chinna Rajappa, HR Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao and others.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu said that the HRD Ministry and other academic experts were finalizing modalities for setting up a Central University in Rayalaseema area. He also added that the Center was keen on bringing new Railway Zone to Andhra Pradesh, and it was firm on increasing the speed of the newly launched AC AP Express train.
He announced that as per its election promise the Modi Government was committed to laying foundation for All India Medical Sciences (AIMS) near Mangalagiri shortly.
“We will keep all the promises one after one the other and you have seen that within one year’s time we brought five all India institutions to A.P.”, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu said. However, he suggested to the Chief Minister that the Government should take stringent action against ragging.
Ms. Smirit Irani said that the Union Government would spend Rs.3,030 crores on all the five institution for which she had laid foundations in the last one or two months. She said that her ministry would spend Rs.700 crores for IIT, Tirupati, Rs.300 crores for NIT Tadepalligudem, Rs. 680 crores for IIM, Visakhapatnam, Rs.870 crores for Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Tirupati and Indian Institute of Information Technology Chittoor (IIIT).
She asked the student community of West Godavari to develop technology that will help small and medium farmers. She congratulated Endowments Minister P. Manikyala Rao who strived hard in bringing the NIT to his constituency.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu thanked the Union Government for giving five national institutions to the State and at the same time reminded about the fiscal status of the state. However, he promised to bring autonagar and underground drainage system to Tadepalligudem.
Ministers P. Manikyala Rao, Peethala Sujatha, Eluru MP G. Gangaraju, Commissioner for Technical Education T. Udayalakshmi and others spoke.
