AP Cabinet fails to fix budget session dates

Vijayawada: Contrary to expectations, the state cabinet did not take any decision regarding the dates to hold the Budget Session of the state Assembly. Earlier, it was said that the Budget session would be held during third week of February.

The focus of the cabinet which met here on Wednesday was more on New Energy Park. The cabinet approved this project with an estimated cost of Rs 1,10,000 crore in two phases. This will provide about 31,000 jobs. Similarly Wind and Solar Power project in Satyasai district was also cleared. Both these projects would have capacity of power generation of 1000 MW each.

Though the Chief Minister had recently stated that he would shift his camp office to Visakhapatnam soon, no discussion in this regard took place in the cabinet according to sources. The government would wait for the Supreme Court decision, it is learnt.

However, the cabinet had approved the recommendations of the State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) which recommended clearance of applications of the industries with an investment of Rs 1.35 lakh crore. The CM said an IT park would be set up in 90 acres at Bhogapuram and another 100mw data centre in Kapuluppada.

He directed the officials to ensure that all projects were launched within the stipulated time and see that 75 per cent of jobs were given to locals.

The Vizag Tech Park Limited would establish a 100mw Data Centre at Kapuluppada with an investment of Rs 7,210 crore.

The Accord group would establish a factory at Ramayapatnam with an investment of Rs 10,000 crore to manufacture special minerals like copper cathode, copper rod, sulfuric acid and selenium. It will provide direct employment to 2,500 persons. The work on this factory will begin in May and it would be completed by June, 2025.

The cabinet also cleared the proposals of the various welfare schemes and the cash transfer schemes of the state government proposed for Ugadi this year.

The schemes included Jagananna Vidyadevena, Vasatideevena, YSR Kalyanamastu, appointment of the 1998 DSC qualified teachers, renaming of the Nellore Barrage as Nallapureddy Srinivasulu Reddy Barrage, construction of two captive berths in the Ramayapatnam port and filling up of all vacant posts in the AP Legal Authority. The cabinet also approved the proposal for creating digital classrooms in the government schools which were modernised and developed under the Nadu-Nedu programme.

Later, the cabinet paid tributes to the actors, directors and singers from the Telugu film industry who died in the recent past.