Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi on Friday, and requested her to release funds for implementation of the Polavaram project, development of backward areas, schemes envisaged in the A.P. Reorganisation Act, GST dues. and for various other programmes.
Mr. Reddy later told the media that he informed Ms. Sitharaman about the blow the COVID-19 pandemic had dealt to the State’s finances, and the need for the Central government to hand-hold it in these times of distress.
Mr. Reddy also said that he requested Ms. Sitharaman to reimburse the expenditure incurred by the State so far on the Polavaram project as per the Central government’s commitment to implement it as a national project, and to release the GST dues amounting to about ₹3,600 crore.
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The State’s revenues fell by 40% during period between April and June due to the pandemic, Mr. Reddy said, and wanted the Centre to help the State in overcoming the crisis.
Later, he called on Union Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy and Water Resources Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
Mr. Reddy was accompanied by Ajeya Kallam, Principal Adviser to the Chief Minister, Aditya Nath Das, Special Chief Secretary (water resources), and S.S. Rawat, Principal Secretary (finance).
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