Rebuilding Andhra Pradesh: Panel to mobilise revenue

Hyderabad: After the Kotaiah Committee, Andhra Pradesh government has decided to constitute another  committee to mobilise funds required  for waiver of crop loans to the farmers.

TD MP Sujana Chowdary will head this committee.

Former chairman of Canara Bank M.B.N Rao, State planning Board vice-chairman C. Kutumba Rao and others will be appointed members of the committee.

Various proposals to raise additional funds are under consideration. Setting up ‘sand yards’ in three or four places along  Godavari, Krishna and Penna rivers is one of them.

The government  plans to  remove the shelves along these three rivers and sell them which will fetch the  government  around Rs 1,000 crore.

The other proposal is to set up a farmers’ welfare cess fund. Some portion of the amount collected by major revenue earning departments will be diverted to this cess fund.

From the excise department 50  percent of the revenue could be diverted to this cess fund.

Some financial experts have advised the government that the   welfare cess fund will not even come under income tax purview.