Centre urged to provide more funds for completion of Polavaram Project

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP KVP Ramachandra Rao has written letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on the implementation of provisions in Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act-2014.

Speaking to the media here on Monday, KVP appealed to Jagan Mohan Reddy to talk firmly with Centre on the injustice done to the State due to non-implementation of certain provisions of AP Reorganization Act.

For the first time, KVP wrote letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and requested Modi to provide more funds for completion of Polvaram Project and to provide 90 per cent funds for industrial concessions, Bundekhand-style package for backward areas and more funds to the government schemes.

He criticised the Central government by pointing out the provisions in the Act and specific promises made by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and that the State had never received the expected support from the Centre since the bifurcation.

"In the last six years, the Centre has released only Rs 7,545 crore as financial assistance under various provisions of the Act, apart from reimbursing an expenditure of Rs 8,615 crore for Polavaram project. Though as a part of a special package, the Centre was supposed to release 30 per cent additional funds for various Centrally sponsored schemes, the Centre has not released them, linking them with repayment of Externally Aided project loans," he said.

KVP said AP is eligible to get Rs 25,171 crore additional assistance in Centrally sponsored schemes alone between 2015-2020 as per the special assistance package announced by Union government.

He reminded Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he came to power saying he would do justice to the Andhra Pradesh State, and said that nothing new is demanded expect the implementation of promises given before the elections.

In the letter to Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, KVP advised Jagan to take up with the NDA government on the funds due to the State and to implement the provisions mentioned in AP Reorganisation Act.