CM Naidu to Meet PM and Union Ministers, Seeking Funds for AP

Vijayawada: Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is in the national capital for two days, attending a conference of chief ministers of Maoist-affected states called by Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday, and meeting top central leaders and ministers.

The conference is held in the light of the Maoist encounter in Chhattisgarh. Naidu will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance minister Nirmala Sitaraman, Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Roads minister Nitin Jairam Gadkari apart from Amit Shah.

Shah would chair a review meeting with CMs of Left-Wing Extremism affected states at Vigyan Bhawan. Chief ministers of AP, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Telangana, Odisha, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh will attend the meeting.

Amit Shah had last chaired the LWE review meeting with these states’ CMs exactly a year ago. He had given comprehensive directions on elimination of LWE.

LWE violence has come down by 72 per cent in the last 10 years, while there was an 86 per cent decline in deaths in 2023 compared to 2010. So far, 202 LWE cadres have been eliminated this year, 723 LWE cadres have surrendered while 812 have been arrested.

The number of LWE-affected districts has come down to 38 by now. Naidu would explain the LWE conditions in AP and the government measures.

The CM would meet PM Modi at 4.30pm on Monday and Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw later in the day. On Tuesday, Naidu will meet Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari and Nirmala Sitaraman. He would discuss about the promised release of Rs.12,000 crore in funds for the Polavaram project, the other pending funds for AP, the new Visakha railway zone, the merger of Vizag Steel in SAIL, flood relief package and a Rs.15,000 crore fund release from World Bank for the projects in Amaravati.

The Union Government already gave its consent for the new Visakha railway zone. The state government aims to start the process soon. Naidu will discuss its foundation ceremony with Vaishnaw.

The issue of Vizag Steel privatisation turned hot as all political parties are demanding that the CM “protect” it and the interests of the employees.