VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Jagan Reddy met Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday, the second day of his Delhi tour, and urged him to resolve various issues raised during the Southern Zonal Council Committee meeting.
These, Jagan said, were pending ever since the state bifurcation in 2014.
The 29th SZC meeting was held in November last year in which CM Jagan had raised various issues of AP with Amit Shah. He once again reminded Shah about them and sought the Centre's help in keeping up the promises that had been made to AP during bifurcation.
Jagan also referred to Shah about the assurances to AP in Parliament and sought release of the Polavaram funds.
Jagan said even after eight years of bifurcation, the majority of the commitments remained unfulfilled. This was causing immense economic hardships and deprivation to AP. Seeking full funding provision for the Polavaram project, he pleaded for the completion of the project by the Centre as per the provisions of the AP Reorganization Act, 2014.
CM Jagan urged the central government to settle a power due of Rs 6,112 crore to AP Power Generation Corporation Ltd from the Telangana distribution utilities.
He said the total resource gap for the first financial year after state bifurcation was of Rs 22,948.76 crore. The Centre has said its liability towards compensating AP was only of Rs 4,117.89 crore under standardized expenditure. He sought the central government's intervention in this matter to help AP.
The chief minister said the inadequate coverage of the state’s beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act has been a matter of concern to the state and pleaded for wider coverage of the AP population under the Targeted Public Distribution System.
Jagan requested the central government to fulfill the other assurances such as the completion of eight infrastructure projects.
On Thursday night, the CM met Union minister for Jal Shakthi Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and discussed various matters including the Polavaram project. The CM returned to the state on Friday.
