‘We’ve taken the best city in the State’: YS Jagan on choosing Vizag for capital

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, on Wednesday, participated in an Education Conclave, by The Hindu, in Vijayawada. Answering a question raised by one of the conclave’s attendees, CM YS Jagan defended his State Government’s decision to shift the executive capital to Vizag.

Speaking on the occasion, the AP CM said the decision to shift the capital was due to the lack of funds. Stating that there’s a need for him to draw priorities on several issues prevalent in the State, he said that the State currently did not have the liberty of spending funds extravagantly. Mentioning that Visakhapatnam is already a developed city and has the requisite infrastructure, YS Jagan said that the cost of setting up capital in Vizag would be lesser as compared to doing the same in Amaravati. “We’ve taken the best city in Andhra Pradesh and trying to give it a fillip so that it elevates to the next level,” he added.

The Chief Minister also spoke on the importance of English in today’s education. “All of us interact with computers, smartphones, laptops, and other gadgets in English. Today, English isn’t a luxury, it has become a necessity. Any of our children wanting a decent job and decent salary has to compete with the world. While this is the situation today, imagine the scene 20 years down the line,” Mr. Reddy said.

In January, the Andhra Pradesh Assembly passed the bill to decentralise the capital in Andhra Pradesh. While Vizag has been proposed to be set up as the executive capital, Amaravati and Kurnool have been proposed to take shape as the legislative and judicial capital respectively. The bill though faced opposition from the TDP members in the Legislative Council, thereby calling for an intervention by a select committee to decide the future course of action.