Jagan Reddy meets Shah, raises demand for special category status for Andhra

New Delhi: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital on Tuesday and discussed various issues related to Andhra Pradesh, including the demand for granting special category status to the state, in a meeting which lasted close to 45 minutes.

Asserting that the bifurcation of the state had adversely affected industrial and service sectors in Andhra Pradesh, Reddy appealed to Shah to give special category status to the state in order for it to face the stiff competition it is facing from nearby Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru among others. He emphasised that the special category status is needed for the development of the industries in Andhra.

Reddy also appealed to the Union Home Minister to direct the finance ministry for hasty clearance of the revenue deficit of Andhra Pradesh for the year 2014-15 which has been pending since long.

The demand for the construction of a steel plant at Kadapa district and seaport at Ramayapatnam in Prakasam district apart from providing funds for completion of the Visakhapatnam Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC) and Kakinada Petro Chemical Complex projects was made by the chief minister.

Apart from demanding money for backward districts, Reddy also requested the Home Minister's nod for the revised estimates of Rs 55 thousand crore for the Polavaram project.

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