Konathala pleads with PM for package to North Andhra

​Hyderabad: Former MP Konthala Ramakrishna in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged him to grant a special financial package of Rs 15,000 crore for Uttarandhra and special category status including tax incentives.

Ramakrishna emphasised that his letter should be read outside of political interests. He said this region has 340 km coastline and has good rainfall averaging 1,050 millimetres annually.

Still, the region suffers from shortage of drinking water, irrigation and an unending incidents of farmers’ suicides and migration of people for livelihood.

In terms of GDP, in the 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh, Srikakulam stands last at 13 and Vizianagaram stands at 12th. These two districts stand similarly when it comes to per capita income. For that matter, this region comes right at the bottom across all development indices.

The Justice BN Srikrishna Committee, and other reports had emphasised that only Special Financial Packages are the solution to the uplift of these two regions.

“I wish to bring to your notice that on February 20, 2014, when the AP Reorganisation Bill was being passed in Rajya Sabha, the then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh gave commitments on behalf of the Government of India.

These include special status to AP to attract investment, tax incentives, Special Financial Package for backward regions of ‘Uttarandhra’ and Rayalaseema, Polavaram multi-purpose project as a national project, Centre’s aid to bridge the revenue deficit, setting up of specialised centres of learning, etc., It is pertinent to mention here that the BJP’s AP unit on page three of its election manifesto for the successor State of AP repeated those assurances saying that the BJP government would implement them fully.”

The financial allocation in these two years, Ramakrishna said, was a mere Rs 300 crore under Special Financial Package to Backward Region of ‘Uttarandhra’. “The measly financial assistance provided by you is nothing but sprinkling salt on the wounds of the people of Uttarandhra,” he said.

Ramakrishna said with two years having passed since the last elections, people of this region are distressed and losing faith in the democratic systems. Such is their frustration that they are taking up an agitational approach. He said his demand was based on his interaction with leaders, NGOs, intellectuals, academicians, political activists and the people themselves.

He further suggested that a ‘Special Authority’ to implement the package. Further there should be periodic monitoring of the package’s implementation by a committee comprising of all political parties and stakeholders.

Ramakrishna said a Tribal University has been promised during the bifurcation and this should be established immediately. Seventy-five per cent of the tribals in the bifurcated part of Andhra Pradesh are in Uttarandhra.

A medical college in this area also would go a long way in restoring the health of the vulnerable tribal communities, he added. He urged the Prime Minister to announce special status when the Private Member’s Bill on special status would be taken up for discussion on May 13.

Apart from this, he said the Centre should also grant Special Category Status. “You are aware that Special Category Status to put the State on the path of rapid development,” he said.