After a marathon meeting of more than eight hours, the AP Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, took a slew of decisions, including the nativity issue, on Thursday.
The Government set June 2017 as the deadline to obtain nativity of Andhra Pradesh. People residing in Andhra Pradesh prior to June 2017 would be treated as natives of Andhra Pradesh.
Those who migrate or relocate thereafter would not be eligible for Andhra Pradesh nativity, according to Information and Public Relations (I&PR) Minister Palle Raghuanatha Reddy.
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Disclosing details of the other decisions taken by the Cabinet, the minister said the Government has decided to lower the value added tax (VAT) on shipping to give a fillip to the east coast logistics hub.
VAT to be 0.5 per cent
The Government collects 22.5 per cent VAT on international shipping. This will be 0.5 per cent hereafter. Likewise, VAT on domestic shipping will be brought down to 5 per cent from the existing 22.5 per cent. It was expected that cargo growth would increase by 10-15 percent as a result of these cuts. The impact on revenue to the Government would be minimal, he said.
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The Government also decided to extend by 30 years the lease held by Krishnapatnam Port Limited for 1398 acres of land.
It also decided to allot 1965 acres at Rayavaram in Visakhapatnam to the Naval Alternative Operations Base project. Another 2722 acres would be allotted to DRDO at Orvakallu in Kurnool district. About 2.2 acres would be allotted to Akshaaya Patra Foundation at Mangalagiri in Guntur district, he said.
Agriculture Minister P. Pulla Rao said the Government would provide rain guns in drought-hit mandals in the State, spening Rs. 50-100 crore. This was a measure to bring down the input subsidy, which in Anantapur district alone, was Rs. 557 crore, he said.
Irrigation Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao said the Government would speed up work on the Polavaram project. The housing requirements of people in two villages that are to be evicted would be completed shortly, he said.
People residing in Andhra Pradesh prior to June 2017 to be treated as natives of the State