AP govt has sought Rs 47,000 crore from Centre for capital development: YSRCP MP

The Andhra Pradesh State Government requested the Centre to release a sum of approximately Rs 47,000 crore for constructing the capital city, as per YSRCP MP Vijayasai Reddy.

Speaking about the developments, YSRCP leader and Member of Rajya Sabha Vijayasai Reddy said that the estimated cost of construction for the capital city is over Rs. 49,000 crore. Revealing that the central government released Rs. 2500 crore so far, the senior leader said that the State officials have requested the remaining amount of Rs 47,424 crore. Mr Reddy though didn’t reveal details of where the capital would be constructed in Andhra Pradesh.

The State Government recently passed a bill in the Legislative Assembly to set up the executive capital in Visakhapatnam, legislative capital in Amaravati and the judicial capital in Kurnool. Speaking about the government’s initiative, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said that the idea was to develop all parts of the State equally, and having three separate capital cities in different strategic locations would be the first step in that direction.

YSRCP MP Vijayasai Reddy represented the Andhra Pradesh government’s case at an all-party meeting convened by the Centre before the Budget session.

Mr Reddy stated that apart from the capital construction cost, the State Government is also supposed to receive funds from the Centre for the development of backward districts and towards the Polavaram irrigation project. As per the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, the Central Government had to release around Rs 23,000 crore for developing the districts and over Rs. 3000 crore for clearing the Polavaram project bills. The YSRCP leader added that revised cost estimates had been submitted to the Centre, and the officials await a response for the same.