Centre duty-bound to help AP

Centre duty-bound to help AP
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Highlights

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has reiterated that the Union government was committed to fulfill all the promises that were made while passing the AP State Re-organsation Act.

Hyderabad: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has reiterated that the Union government was committed to fulfill all the promises that were made while passing the AP State Re-organisation Act. He told media that many promises were made on the floor of the Rajya Sabha and by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The NDA government is “duty bound” to implement them.

Jaitley said Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had met him and discussed issues pertaining to state finances. “Whatever amount the Centre has released so far was just a beginning and more would follow soon,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chief Ministers of different states had detailed discussions on how to share the knowledge and resources and how to take forward the cooperative federalism.

Earlier, Naidu addressed a press conference at Andhra Bhavan after the first General Council meeting of the NITI Aayog. The discussions were held on the Government of India Programmes like Swatch Bharath, Make in India, Jandhan Yojana and state Government programmes like smart Villages, Smart Wards, 7 Missions, 5 Grids and 5 Campaigns. Suggestions were made on how to integrate central and state government’s prioritized schemes and suggested to constitute committees and sub-committees with the chief ministers as members, if necessary, said chief Minister. Naidu mentioned that the Prime Minister has constituted three committees. A committee on Human Resource Development on skill development, a committee on sanitation for Swatch Bharat and third committee on the viability and the continuity of 66 centrally-sponsored schemes. Prime Minister suggested that the state governments have to constitute two task forces one for poverty eradication in rural areas and other to make agriculture a profitable venture.

In response to the Prime Minister’s suggestion, Naidu has promised to constitute the two task forces under NITI Ayog. The issues of inter-state river linkage also came up for discussion. He has insisted the necessity of intra-linkage of river Krishna and Godavari. He said that he had raised the issue about the revenue deficit and the loss the state suffered on account of Hudhud cyclone.

“Andhra Pradesh is getting revenue under VAT and other resources while Telangana State was getting 52 per cent against the population ratio of 59:41.3. The difference of revenue receipt is about 11 per cent in AP, he said. To overcome the deficit of the state revenue more industries have to be established lest the state
will lag behind," the chief minister said.

Replying to a query, he said that the issue of increasing the number of Assembly seats from 175 to 225 will be taken up with the Central government for it was ensured in APR Act.

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