Budget 2024: Andhra Pradesh Gets Special Bonanza Of Rs 15,000 Crore, TDP Welcomes Move – News18

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday announced special bonanza for Andhra Pradesh, allocating Rs 15,000 crore financial assistance in the current financial year for the development of the state.

Presenting the Budget for 2024-25 in the Lok Sabha, the finance minister said that additional amounts would be provided for the development in the coming years. She further asserted that concerted efforts would be made to fulfill the commitments under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act.

“Our government has made concerted efforts to fulfil the commitments in Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. We are recognising the state’s need for a capital. We will facilitate special financial support through multilateral development agencies. In the current financial year, Rs15,000 crore will be arranged with additional amounts in future years,” she said during her Budget speech.

Sitharaman further said under the AP Reorganisation Act, for promoting industrial developments, funds will be provided for essential infrastructure such as water, power, railways, and roads and also grants for backward regions of Rayalaseema, Prakasam North coastal Andhra Pradesh, as stated in the Act will be provided.

The minister also asserted to facilitate special financial support for development of the capital city of Amaravati. Grants for backward regions of Andhra Pradesh have also been promised, along with a special mention of the Polavaram Dam project.

Later, Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh welcomed the Central government’s budgetary proposals and thanked the Centre.

“Thanks to the Central government which announced that it will provide full support for the completion of the projects of Amaravati, the capital of Andhra Pradesh, and Polavaram project, the lifeline of AP. On behalf of the people of the state, we express our gratitude to the NDA government for committing to the reconstruction of Andhra Pradesh by allocating Rs 15,000 crore in the budget,” he said in a post on X.

The Party also shared a post on X describing the developmental guarantees promised in the budget.

“For the development of all areas and all sectors, the coalition government has received huge funds from the Centre. Chandrababu’s visits to Delhi resulted. Guarantees received by the state in the central budget.

1. Financial assistance of Rs.15 thousand crores for the development of Andhra Pradesh

2. More funds for the completion of Polavaram, the lifeline of the state

3. Special package for Rayalaseema, Prakasam and Uttarandhra districts

4. Development of Hyderabad-Bangalore Industrial Corridor for industrial development

5. Special assistance to nodes in Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor

6. Development of Kopparthi and Orvakallu Industrial Centres

7. Funding for Kopparthi on Visakha-Chennai Corridor and Orvakallu on Hyderabad-Bangalore Corridor

8. Special funds for water, power, railway, roads projects

9. Enforcement of guarantees contained in Partition Act

10. Special project for Andhra Pradesh through Purvodaya scheme

#APBackOnTrack #AndhraPradesh.”

Chandrababu Naidu had strongly pressed for ‘special help’ for the stare while meeting the union ministers before the budget. Cabinet Minister and TDP leader Ram Mohan Naidu was seen cheering and showing a thumbs-up as announcements for Andhra Pradesh were made by the finance minister.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is a key ally of the BJP-led NDA in the Centre. Political parties from Andhra Pradesh have since long demanded special category status for the state.

Special category status is a classification of regions or states by the central government to provide special assistance in the form of tax benefits and financial support for development of the region.

Disclaimer:With inputs from PTI

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