Naidu Returns Empty-Handed From PM Meeting

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today said that he had urged the Centre to help the truncated state and fulfill all the promises given to it at the time of bifurcation, but did not appear to return with any concrete new deliverables.

He was addressing a joint press conference along with Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, after a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the problems of the state.

He thanked the Prime Minister for the assistance given to the state so far. He said that the Centre had given Rs 2,300 crores to help partly bridge the state's budget deficit, and Rs 1,500 crores for the construction of a new capital city.

The Chief Minister then said that he had reminded the Prime Minister of a promise of a special package for seven backward districts in Rayalaseema and Uttarandhra, as given to Bundelkhand, made on the floor of Parliament by the previous government. He also reminded the PM of the promise made by the earlier UPA government that the new state's capital would be developed on par with Hyderabad.

"I had informed the then government that Rs 5 lakh crores would be needed for us to develop a new capital like Hyderabad. The UPA government had promised to give the funds for development of the new capital city," Naidu said.

The AP CM also said that even Modi had announced in Tirupati that the new capital city would be developed with all modern facilities.

"We have to keep our promises to the people who voted for us," Naidu said.

"Also, if there is no possibility of according special status to AP, the Centre should think of giving more financial assistance to the state. The Centre has promised that it would extend more financial help to the state," Naidu added.

He also said there were problems on Schedule 10 of the Act.

The PM had asked NITI Aayog to make recommendations on the financial assistance to be given to Andhra Pradesh, including grant of special status, Naidu said. The Centre would take a call on what to do once the NITI Aayog recommendations were out, he said.

Participating in the press conference, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley asseverated that the Centre was committed to fulfilling all the promises envisaged in the AP Re-organisation Act to Andhra Pradesh.

The Prime Minister had asked the NITI Aayog vice-chairman to fulfill all the promises made to Andhra Pradesh, Jaitley said, adding that the Centre had provided financial assistance to Andhra Pradesh in the first year and it would continue.

The Centre would also give relief in taxation in the seven backward districts of the state, Jaitley added.