Hyderabad: AP government chief secretary S.P. Tucker gave a jolt to principal finance secretary (PFS) P.V. Ramesh on the controlling powers over the AP Economic Development Board (EDB).
PFS Ramesh sent a report to the chief secretary proposing that the EDB should work under the control of the finance department since it dealt with financial matters. At the same time, chief executive officer (CEO) of EDB Krishna Kishore sent another report to the chief secretary, proposing that EDB work under the control of the General Administration Department (GAD) or under the industries department.
The AP government had constituted the EDB along the lines of the Singapore EDB which works under the control of the industries department. CEO of EDB Krishna Kishore thought that EDB in AP too should follow this norm or else come under the GAD.
Mr Tucker in his orders said, “The EDB shall function under the General Administration Department; the funds relating to the EDB shall be administered by it as per its internal rules and regulations.” He added that the government shall sanction the funds from time to time to the EDB on need-based non lapsable grants. Both Mr Tucker and Mr Ramesh have had differences since a long time, and the chief secretary’s decision on the EDB is therefore significant.
The CS, in his orders, said that for achieving the desired goals of all-round economic growth and employment generation, a globally competitive investment climate, capable of responding with alacrity to the fast changing global economic and technological scenario, needed to be established in the state.
It was towards these ends that government had decided to establish the EDB for strategic investment planning and promotion to act as a single point of contact for investments and promote inter-departmental coordination. The governing body of the EDB will be headed by the Chief Minister, with the finance minister as the vice chairman.
