Special development funds to every constituency sought
Vijayawada: Calling for substantial development funds and greater fiscal support to Andhra Pradesh, Vijayawada West MLA Yalamanchili Satyanarayana Chowdary alias Sujana Chowdary, urged the Centre to allocate nearly Rs 60,000 crore to the state under the 16th Finance Commission and provide dedicated constituency-level development funds for MLAs.
Speaking in Assembly on Wednesday during the discussion on the state Budget, he pressed for a financial decentralisation model similar to the MP-LADS scheme at the national level, proposing a structured fund allocation mechanism for MLAs to address local infrastructure and civic issues. He sought specific financial assistance for resolving long-pending problems in Vijayawada West constituency.
Chowdary said that over the past 19 months, several welfare and development initiatives were undertaken in his constituency without depending solely on government funds, with support from organisations such as Sujana Foundation, CRISP, Dr Reddy’s Foundation and BGL. He suggested that if the state provides partial funding, additional resources could be mobilised through Central schemes and institutional partnerships to complete development works across constituencies.
Highlighting the political context, he described Andhra Pradesh as being governed by a ‘triple-engine’ coalition comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan. He said the alliance government is committed to welfare, balanced growth and long-term development. Referring to the ‘Swarna Andhra Vision 2047’, he noted that the Chief Minister has laid out long-term plans and suggested releasing another White Paper to inform the public about pending bills, employee dues and the state’s debt position.
Observing that the state remains dependent on borrowings to bridge the revenue deficit, Chowdary stressed the need to enhance income through improved performance of state corporations and welcomed the establishment of a Rs 100-crore State Sovereign Fund.
He pointed out that the mining sector contributes only 10 per cent revenue and proposed international tendering to boost income, while emphasising the completion of pending irrigation projects to strengthen agricultural productivity. He also suggested utilising ‘Thalliki Vandanam’ funds for improving government schools and called for stronger Centre–State coordination to accelerate development projects.
