Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is understood to have exhorted the TDP think tank to explore means for securing the necessary Central funds for taking forward the projects launched by the State government, including the construction of capital.
The Chief Minister held closed-door discussions with some Ministers, MLAs and party senior leaders during his visit here on Monday to participate in the Republic Day celebrations. The development assumes significance in the light of the remarks made by Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu that concurrence of other States was needed for according special status to Andhra Pradesh. Since there was no scope for conferring special status in the near future, the Chief Minister asked the Ministers and other leaders to suggest ways to effectively mobilise funds from various sources.
He is learnt to have told them that Union Minister of State Y.S. Chowdary had been made the in-charge for effectively lobbying with the Centre for securing funds. Sources said that Mr. Naidu had cautioned the party leaders to refrain from publicly airing their views against the Centre, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu in particular.
A section of the leaders including the Ministers urged Mr. Naidu to rechristen the Irrigation Department as Water Resources Department as it had a wide ambit of issues under its purview and Mr. Naidu positively responded to it.
