Continuing the tight-rope walk on `special category` status for Andhra Pradesh, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitaraman asserted that more than it (special status)’s nomenclature, funds and infrastructure matter for development of the State.
As part of its commitment, the Centre has already sanctioned a financial assistance of about Rs. 2,800 crore (Rs. 1,800 crore for bridging the resource gap and Rs. 500 crore for building Raj Bhavan, Secretariat etc.).
More funds will be sanctioned for construction of the Capital city and other projects as and when the State comes up with concrete proposals, she said.
Addressing media persons here on Sunday, Ms. Sitaraman wondered how could the Central Government be expected to give money for construction of Capital before the digging of earth has begun and suggested to the Opposition parties to not paint a wrong picture of what the BJP was doing for A.P.
She claimed that the Central Government was giving a 47 per cent share of its revenues to States like A.P. These were ‘revenue deficit States’ whose increased share of Central revenues was five per cent more than what the Finance Commission has allowed.
The Central Government has given clearances for many projects in A.P and it was exploring ways to sustain the funding in spite of various hurdles. The impediments faced by it include demands from other States for giving the kind of concessions that were promised for A.P at the time of bifurcation.
Ms. Sitaraman said that every department of Central Government was working on requirements of A.P with due involvement of respective people’s representatives and officials from the State. “People need not give up their hope for special category status. We are sincerely working on it and the financial assistance which has already been extended to the State is evidence of its determination to keep its word”, the Minister added.
The BJP leaders Somu Veerraju, J. Syam Kishore and V. Srinivasa Raju were among those present.
