CM Jagan Reiterates Special Status Demand for AP

VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, seeking release of the pending central funds and action on the unresolved issues of Andhra Pradesh, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The Chief Minister also met home minister Amit Shah and finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman. He urged the central leaders to expedite the promised grant of Special Status to AP as per the state bifurcation agreement of 2014.

There were speculations about Jagan Mohan Reddy opting for early polls if BJP too aims at early general elections. According to the trusted sources, the topic of early elections as also other political matters came up during the discussions but the CM expressed his disinterest.

YSRC MP P. Mithun Reddy, dismissing the speculations, affirmed that the YSRC was not interested in early polls and CM Jagan Mohan Reddy would like to have the polls as per the normal schedule.

 The Chief Minister landed in Delhi on Wednesday and met Amit Shah at 3.30 pm. He urged Shah to release the pending central funds for Andhra Pradesh soonest. He met the PM and urged him to expedite decisions on several issues including those related to state bifurcation. Later, he met the finance minister.

Apart from seeking funds for the construction of new medical colleges, completing Polavaram project and correcting the loopholes in the implementation of National Food Security Act, the Chief Minister also urged the PM to fulfil the promises given to Andhra Pradesh during the 2014 bifurcation.

Officials said the CM met Prime Minister for an hour and 20 minutes and Amit Shah for 45 minutes.

In a memorandum submitted to the Prime Minister, Jagan Mohan Reddy appealed to him to accept the revised estimates of Rs 55,548.87 crore on Polavaram Project and release Rs 17,144 crore on a priority basis to expedite the project’s first phase. This includes the R and R package for the displaced persons in 36 villages.

“Unless the funds for R & R package are released, the first phase would remain incomplete,” he said and urged the Prime Minister to advise the Jal Shakti Ministry to release the pending amount at the earliest.

He also pleaded with the central leaders for reimbursement of the arrears of Rs 1,310.15 crore incurred by AP for the Polavaram Project.

The Chief Minister appealed to the PM to take immediate steps to ensure that the Telangana Government clears the Rs 7,230.14 crore in outstanding from the TS Discoms to APGenco for the power supplied between 2014 and 2017.

Jagan Mohan Reddy also told the PM that the state has been incurring an additional financial burden of Rs 5,527crore on supply of ration to 56 lakh families every year under the PMGKAY due to irrational selection of beneficiaries under National Food Security Act.

The CM sought compensation for this. The Centre should supply 77,000 metric tonnes of rice from the unused ration stocks of 1 lakh tonnes every month to AP, he proposed.

He also urged the PM to implement the promise of Special Status to the state as it would help in faster industrial development and provide employment opportunities to the state’s youths.

Explaining that the state government is constructing 17 new medical colleges after the number of districts in the state has gone up to 26 from 13, he sought financial support to go ahead with the works.

Jagan Mohan Reddy also urged the Modi to give directions to the mines ministry to allot three mines to APMDC to cater to the raw material needs of the steel plant in YSR Kadapa district.

He also sought immediate release of Rs 1,702.90 crore towards subsidy outstanding to the AP Civil Supplies Corporation, involving a period from 2012-13 to 2017-18.