Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has demanded that the State
government clear the air on Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s statement that the Centre has extended ₹8,000-crore assistance to Andhra Pradesh. The State government owes an explanation to the people how those funds were spent.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Mr. Naidu said the Centre says that it had supplied rice and red gram in view of the lockdown imposed due to COVID-19. The onus lies on the government to spell out what it had done for the people in comparison with other States, he added.
Mr. Naidu said the funds released by the Centre were misused, leaving the people in the State to their fate. It seems there is no end to corruption in the State under YSR Congress rule, he added.
‘Exaggerated claims’
While the government took credit for launching tens of ambulances at one go, the fact remains that it came one year late. People had suffered in the absence of health services all these days and a body had to be carried in an earthmover for the last rites as ambulance was not available, he pointed out.
The government should immediately announce ₹5,000 assistance for the families of migrant workers, daily wagers, hawkers and others to alleviate their plight. Support at this juncture was badly needed as there was no clarity over recovery from the virus infection in view of lack of an effective vaccine or treatment till now.
Being an agrarian State, AP was witnessing its farmers in horticulture, aquaculture and poultry facing lots of new challenges.
