Giving vent to his deep disappointment over the raw deal meted out to Andhra Pradesh in the Union Budget 2015-16, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu politely but firmly reminded the BJP-led NDA alliance partner that it has equal responsibility to do justice to people of the State facing extreme hardships post-bifurcation.
Addressing a media conference here on Saturday, Mr. Naidu said the State had high hopes on the Union Budget and believed that it would compensate for the injustice done to the State in the allocations under 14{+t}{+h}Finance Commission.
“But now we can’t digest the injustice done to A.P. and reduced focus on agriculture and allied sectors which provide maximum livelihood to people in the society and irrigation sectors,” he said.
Acknowledging that people were in despair, Mr. Naidu said after defeating UPA for dividing the State against their wishes, people trusted and voted for the TDP-BJP alliance. “Their confidence is shaking now after the promises made in the A.P. State Reorganisation Act were not included in the budget.”
‘Do not lose hope’
Appealing to people not to lose hope, the Chief Minister said he would take time to meet the Prime Minister, Union Finance Minister and the Union Home Minister and impress upon them with documentary evidence that they would have to come to rescue of A.P. till it got a level playing field to compete with neighbouring States. “I have confidence that I can convince the Centre,” he said.
Under the Backward Region Grant Fund, the Centre recently gave only Rs.350 crore but wound up that scheme in the Union Budget. Special category status promised to A.P. did not materialise so far, while the additional investment allowance of 15 per cent and capital depreciation of 15 per cent would not be of use as A.P. had no manufacture sector base, he said. The major blow was provision of only Rs.100 crore for Polavaram project which was given national project status to make up for injustice done to A.P. in bifurcation, Mr. Naidu said. The State pinned hopes on liberal capital fund in the budget. The Centre which sanctioned ad hoc grant of Rs.500 crore recently ignored it in the budget.
Unless A.P. had a capital that could compete with the ecosystem of well developed neighbouring capitals of Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai, it would not become income and employment generating region. The Visakhapatnam Railway Zone included in the Act was not sanctioned.
Unless A.P. has a capital that can compete with Hyderabad, Bengaluru or Chennai, it will not become an income-generating region.
N. CHANDRABABU NAIDU
Chief Minister
We can’t digest the injustice done, says Chief Minister
