New Delhi, (Samajweekly) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence here on Monday, and discussed several key issues related to the state.
The Chief Minister requested Modi to approve the revised cost estimates of Rs 55,657 crore at 2017-18 price level, which includes drinking water component of Rs 4,000 crore, and also to release the pending payments of Rs 2,100 crore already incurred by the state government towards the Polavaram project.
Pointing out while state’s total revenue deficit for 2014-15 financial year stands at Rs 22,948.76 crore, Jagan Reddy said only Rs 4,117.89 crore has been released.
He requested the Prime Minister that the remaining Rs 18,830.87 crore be released at the earliest, to support the state during this hour of need.
The Chief Minister said an amount of Rs 6,284 crore is receivable by Andhra Pradesh Generation Corporation Limited (APGENCO) from the Telangana State Distribution Utilities and Telangana DISCOMs have recognized the amount as payables but are yet to make the actual payment.
He requested the Prime Minister to direct the concerned authorities to settle these dues at the earliest so that the state power sector will be financially strengthened and the state’s payables to power suppliers can also be discharged.
The Chief Minister said there is inadequate coverage of beneficiaries under NFSA (National Food Security) Act, and large number of needy and deserving persons being uncovered and requested the Prime Minister to direct the concerned officials that the State’s data be reviewed and corrected. He also urged that a comprehensive view be taken on the poverty levels in the State, wider coverage of population of Andhra Pradesh under TPDS be ensured and the anomaly be corrected.
The Chief Minister said the NBC (net borrowing ceiling) for the financial year 2021-22 was originally fixed at Rs 42,472 crore as per the FRBM norms fixed by the Central Government and made applicable to every State.
The Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, has subsequently informed that an amount of Rs 17,923.24 crore is to be adjusted against the NBC fixed for this year on account of the so called overborrowing of the state during earlier years of the previous government in the state.
The Chief Minister emphasised that the so called over-drawal was only a borrowing and not a grant and the borrowing is also being serviced without any default. He has requested the Prime Minister that the state’s NBC be restored to its original level of Rs 42,472 crore.
The Chief Minister has urged the Prime Minister to look into the renewal of the approvals of site clearances for greenfield international airport at Bhogapuram.
In regard to setting up an Integrated Steel Plant in YSR Kadapa district, he said MECON, a Central Government undertaking, has not yet concluded its report as to the feasibility of the integrated steel plant, and urged the Prime Minister to direct the concerned officials to expedite it.
He said the state government has incorporated ‘YSR Steel Corporation Ltd’ for establishing the steel plant in YSR Kadapa district. For securing iron ore mineral for the proposed steel plant, requests have been made to the Ministry of Mines to reserve iron ore mineral areas in favour of a government of Andhra Pradesh undertaking, AP Mineral Development Corporation Ltd.
Such reservation is permitted by the extant legal framework.
Later, the Chief Minister also called on Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and discussed the issues related to the state.
