'Be it Andhra Pradesh or Telangana, the soul is Telugu; both states must progress,' says Modi
Amaravati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi set a historic moment for Andhra Pradesh by laying the foundation stone of dream capital Amaravati at Uddandarayuni Palem on Thursday.
Modi said Amravati is on the way to becoming a people's capital and both AP and Telangana will reach new heights if they work together.
Congratulating the people and the Andhra Pradesh government for the new capital, Modi said it is an important step for the state.
"The way Chandrababu Naidu took up work on this (new capital) and integrated whatever is best across the world, he must be congratulated," PM said while addressing the gathering at Uddandarayuni Palem, where he laid the foundation stone for the new capital.
The Prime Minister also took this opportunity to laud the initiative taken up by Chandrababu Naidu to invite his Telangana counterpart K. Chandrashekhar Rao to the ceremony.
"When Chandrababu told me about this event, I said, I will surely come. But when I read Chandrababu Naidu met Telangana CM and invited him, I was very happy. I congratulate Chandrababu Naidu for this," he said.
"Be it Andhra Pradesh or Telangana, the soul is Telugu. Both states must progress. Both the states have the capability to progress. If they work together, they will reach new heights," he added.
Modi was grandly welcomed by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and others dignitaries. Naidu's son Nara Lokesh, grandson Devaansh and daughter-in-law Brahamani were introduced to the PM, as he caressed Devaansh.
PM Modi meets AP CM Chandrababu Naidu's family in Amravati, AP. pic.twitter.com/1UAlxh1bxk
— ANI (@ANI_news) October 22, 2015Union Ministers M Venkaiah Naidu, Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Nirmala Sitaraman, AP and Telangana Governor E S L Narasimhan and Chief Ministers of AP and Telangana N Chandrababu Naidu and K Chandrasekhar Rao, respectively, were among those present on the occasion of 'shila nyas' in the village, about 40 kms from Vijayawada, the commercial hub of the state.
Modi went around 'Amaravati Pavilion', a walk through showcasing evolution of Amaravati, a place of immense historical, mythological and cultural significance, its present and future.
Amaravati was once the seat of power of Satavahana rulers. As per a call given by Chandrababu Naidu, soil and water from 16,000 villages in the state and prominent pilgrim centres in the country have been brought to the capital region to be used in the construction of the capital city.
The idea is to promote a sense of belongingness among the people, officials said.
Singapore government agencies have prepared the master plans for the three-layered capital -- seed capital, capital city and capital region.
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The guest list included superstar Amitabh Bachchan, several union ministers including Nirmala Sitharaman, Bandaru Dattatreya and Sujana Chowdary, top industrialists and diplomats from India and abroad.
Industrialists like GMR chairman Grandhi Mallikarjun Rao, chairman of Apollo Hospitals C Pratap Reddy and several ambassadors of foreign countries were also present.
Tollywood actors Rajaendra Prasad, Saikumar and playback singer Sunita anchored the programme.
However, it was a huge disappointment for people of Andhra Pradesh, as Modi did not make any announcement on special status or financial package.
The Andhra Pradesh government has four demands from the Central government: Special Category status to AP, a special financial package of about Rs 2 lakh crore, a separate railway zone for the state and some Infrastructure projects. On the directions of the Prime Minister, Niti Aayog had collected information relevant to AP from central and state government departments.
The AP government has estimated that it will need Rs 1,20,000 crore to build Amaravati over the next one and half decades. The essential infrastructure including Raj Bhavan, Secretariat, High Court, Assembly and Council, along with trunk infrastructure to be built over the next five years is estimated to cost around Rs 42,935 crore.
The Centre had released Rs 1500 crore in the previous financial year while the state government had asked for Rs 4000 crore per year for the next five years.
The state government has also demanded incentives for industrial development of AP. It wants the Centre to grant 30 per cent capital subsidy and 100 pre cent central excise, income and service tax exemptions for 10 years.
