Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured a delegation of the TDP MPs, who met him in New Delhi on Friday, that the Central government would fulfil all the promises made to Andhra Pradesh at the time of bifurcation, and to discuss the matters raised by them with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu during his scheduled visit next week.
Addressing the media, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Y.S. Chowdary said that Mr. Modi positively responded to their plea to set up a task force for implementing the A.P. Reorganisation Act (APRA) and sorting any issues outside its purview.
To the MPs’ request to ensure time-bound fulfilment of the promises, Mr. Modi replied that he would speak to the departments concerned.
Revenue deficit
Mr. Chowdary quoted Mr. Modi as saying that he was in touch with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on the issue of bridging the revenue deficit, which he (Mr. Modi) felt was only a matter of reconciliation, and funding the Externally Aided Projects (EAP).
The Union Minister further said that Mr. Modi told the delegation, which included BJP State president K. Haribabu, that he issued necessary instructions to the Water Resources Ministry for the execution of the Polavaram project, for which funds had been tied up with NABARD and other agencies, and that steps were taken for sorting out certain procedural issues.
He (Mr. Modi) reiterated that the delimitation of constituencies, division of properties under Schedules IX and X of the APRA, establishment of a railway zone, and other pending issues would be resolved with due priority. MPs Kesineni Srinivas, Galla Jayadev, Maganti Venkateswara Rao, Thota Narasimham, C.M. Ramesh, T.G. Venkatesh, and P. Ravindra Babu were among those present.
