Andhra Pradesh CM Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, soon after taking over the reins of the state, said he would continue to take up the special category status issue with the Centre whenever it is possible, though the NDA government has dumped the same.
In every memorandum that he submitted to the Centre in the last 20 months, Jagan has been invariably mentioning the special category status issue, though the Centre has been conveniently ignoring the same.
On Saturday, too, speaking at a virtual conference of NITI-Aayog chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jagan raised the issue of special category states.
He said rapid industrialization of my State is possible if only “Special Category Status” is accorded.
“This was a commitment made on the floor of the Parliament and was a pre-condition to the bifurcation,” he said.
The chief minister pointed out that despite providing a business-friendly environment, the industrialization in Andhra Pradesh was yet to gain required growth momentum.
“This is due to several constraints, resulting from the unjust and inequitable bifurcation of the erstwhile State of Andhra Pradesh. The bifurcation resulted in my State being deprived of tier I city, infrastructure, employment opportunities and financial resources. Hence, it requires special category status to get the required momentum,” he said.
He requested the Prime Minister, among many other things, the Centre’s support for quick approval of revised cost estimates of and the timely completion of the Polavaram Irrigation Project, declared as a National project.
“The project is regarded as my State’s lifeline and the completion of the same would contribute significantly to the increase in irrigated area,” he said.