Centre will not go back on special status for A.P.: Venkaiah

Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu pointed out that about nine states had been seeking the special category status for the sake of taking Central support in different areas including poverty alleviation, industrial development and so on.

30/08/2015, Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu during a visit to Swarna Bharath Trust in Nellore district. - PHOTO: K. RAVIKUMAR

Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday asserted that there should be no room for any confusion over the issue of according special category status to Andhra Pradesh as the Central Government had no intention of going back on this aspect.

He said that he had taken up the special category status issue along with various other aspects with the members of the Niti Ayog (National Institution for Transforming India) governing council. The discussed issues included according special status, announcing special packages and also incentives for the industrial growth in the State.

During his visit to the Swarna Bharath Trust in Nellore District here on Sunday, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu told reporters that the Niti Ayog members would submit a report soon on the A.P. issues to the Prime Minister. After perusing the same, the Prime Minister would make a statement on the special category status issue also, he added.

Mr. Naidu pointed out that about nine states had been seeking the special category status for the sake of taking Central support in different areas including poverty alleviation, industrial development and so on.

Stating that there would be a special session of the Parliament in September, Mr. Naidu pointed out that the Government would take up the land acquisition bill for passage regardless of the viewpoints of the Opposition.

Earlier, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated a medical camp organized on the premises of the Swarna Bharath Trust near Nellore city. He expressed concern over the rodent bite incident in which a child died in a government hospital in Guntur.

Making a strong case of good facilities, Mr. Naidu said that there as a need for developing basic facilities in the government hospitals which needed to be changed in totality. To address the issue of scarcity of doctors, the Government had simplified the guidelines for setting up the medical colleges, he added.

Mr. Naidu said that among the major causes for farmers’ suicides across the country were rising medical and educational costs.