Vijayawada: Stressing that misgovernance and institutionalised corruption coupled with the lack of sincerity during the last five years had left the state with high unemployment and empty coffers, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said that special category status was the only lifeline left for his state.
Speaking at the Niti Aayog governing council meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Naren-dra Modi in Delhi on Saturday, Mr Reddy said AP has inherited nearly 59 per cent of the population and debt but only 47 per cent of the revenue of the erstwhile AP post-bifurcation.
He said that earning the special category status will prove significant for the state as it provides special industrial incentives such as income-tax exemption and GST exemptions.
Such special incentives are vital for the agrarian state as they will enable rapid industrialisation, thereby leading to improved employment opportunities for the youth and the overall development of the state. “We need super speciality hospitals, five-star hotels, manufacturing industries, service industries,” he said.
