Chandrababu writes to Arun Jaitley seeking release of funds for EAPs

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has written a letter to Union finance minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday to release funds for Externally Aided Projects (EAP) as part of the special package announced to Andhra Pradesh. 

Reminding him of the unfulfilled promises made in State Reorganisation Act, Chandrababu expressed displeasure over the delay in clearance of EAP and requested the Finance Minister to sanction Rs 16,725 crore funds through NABARD for six EAPs. 

In the letter, the Chief Minister suggested that a special dispensation amount be provided to the state for specified projects from NABARD instead of loans from external agencies.

Of the six projects, the AP Roads and Bridges Reconstruction Project, AP Mandal Connectivity and Rural Connectivity Improvement Project (Rs 3,200 crore each) have been approved while the Rs 4,500-crore AP Rural Water Supply Project is yet to be cleared.

Also, another project, Construction of Residential School Buildings has been pending for DEA approval and the cost of the project has gone up o Rs 3,341 crore from Rs 3,000 crore.

Two new projects — the Amaravati Greening Development costing Rs 1,484-crore and AP Backward Area Rural Development to the Centre for NABARD funding of Rs 1,000-crore have also been submitted by the state government.