Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is leaving for New Delhi on Monday on a two-day trip to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a host of Union Ministers.
According to official sources here, Mr. Naidu is scheduled to meet the Prime Minister at 4 p.m. He would be discussing several issues relating to the State, including the grant of special category status to Andhra Pradesh. Polavaram project, funding for new capital, industrial incentives and the need for the Centre to meet the entire budget deficit for 2014-15 would also be discussed with Mr. Modi, sources said.
The Chief Minister is also slated to meet Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley, Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Water Resources Uma Bharati, Union Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industries Nirmala Sitharaman.
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Sources said Mr. Naidu would be raising all the pending issues with the Central leaders as also assurances given in the AP Reorganisation Act and the commitments made by the previous UPA government on the floor of Parliament.
Soon after landing at New Delhi, Mr. Naidu would meet Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman. The Chief Minister would request her to instruct her ministry to expedite the preparation of the Bill for providing industrial incentives to the State.
During his meeting with Ms. Badal, the Chief Minister would take up the issue of setting up mega food parks and cold storage facilities in the State and seek Centre’s financial assistance in this regard. The issue of curbing post-harvest losses, especially of horticultural produce was also expected to figure in the meeting.
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Sources said that the Chief Minister, who is scheduled to return to Hyderabad on Tuesday evening, would extend his stay at Delhi, if necessary.