Govt officials point out that Andhra Pradesh asking for funds over and above that stipulated in Andhra Pradesh state reorganisation Act, 2014
Initial strands of friction seem to have started appearing between the Centre and the newly created state of Andhra Pradesh, as chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has blame central bureaucracy for stalling funds because of which state does not have money to pay salaries to its employees.
However, the central government officials denied the charge and said "all the assistance as envisaged in the AP reorganisation act is being provided to the state. There is no delay on centre's part."
In Delhi during the festival season of Makar Sakranti, Naidu after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a host of cabinet ministers said in New Delhi that he was forced leave the festival season and come to Delhi as the newly created state does not have money to pay the next month salaries to its employees.
Naidu said the state government was diverting funds meant for the development to pay salaries but the situation now turned serious this month and he came to meet central ministers seeking greater attention to the state as great injustice was done to Andhra Pradesh during bifurcation.
Besides seeking special status category for Andhra Pradesh, Naidu sought a special package from the centre to meet the expenses including salary to the government employees.
The central government officials who were part of various meetings, however, pointed out that the Andhra Pradesh is asking for something whose provisions were not made in the Andhra Pradesh state reorganisation Act, 2014.
"We are giving what is due to Andhra Pradesh as per the Act. Other states also got bifurcated but never made demands to the tune of what Andhra Pradesh has started making, All, including them (Telugu Desam), were stakeholders and given their assent to the Act which was duly passed in the parliament," said an official.
The officials also pointed out that there could be some friction between the two states (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana) over certain infrastructure installation for example training academy but we in the centre have to work as per the schedule approved by the Parliament.
Naidu, who besides Modi met union home minister Rajnath Singh, commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman, road & transport minister Nitin Gadkari, water resources minister Uma Bharati and rural development minister Birender Singh, also informed that his government was acquiring land for the new capital as per land pooling system and his government has already roped in foreign based companies from Singapore and Japan to prepare master plan for core capital areas and peripheral areas.
The Chief Minister also urged Uma Bharati to complete the Polavaram project within next four and half years. Naidu said he would be meeting global industry leaders in Davos to re-energise the development process in the state.
"It is a place we can renew our contacts with various country's representatives. We want to learn and implement best practices," he added.
Source: DNA
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