Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has reiterated that the Central government is obliged to grant the Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh as per the commitment given in Parliament as a precondition to bifurcation.
“Rapid industrialisation of the State is possible only if SCS is accorded,” he said in his speech during the virtual meeting of the governing council of NITI Aayog chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said in spite of his government’s commitment to providing a business-friendly environment, industrialisation in the State has not gained the required growth momentum due to several constraints which resulted from the unjust and inequitable bifurcation of the unified State of A.P.
He said bifurcation deprived the State of tier-I cities, infrastructure, employment opportunities and financial resources. The SCS and certain other support measures would help the State in overcoming the crisis to a large extent, he observed.
He expressed his resolve to make manufacturers in the State globally competitive by giving performance-linked incentives to new industries. A.P. has complied with the 229 reforms under the District Business Reform Action Plan of the Government of India, he said.
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy sought quick approval of the revised cost estimates of the Polavaram project and support for its timely completion to facilitate sustainable irrigation. He said the project was declared as a national project and is regarded as the State’s lifeline.
Energy policy
He urged the Central government to come up with a national policy to encourage the use of reverse pumping technology given the increase in the share of renewable energy in total energy generation, and to permit the States’ power utilities to swap high-cost debt with low-cost long-term debt to ensure survival of the sector.
He said the A.P. government recently floated a tender for a 10,000 MW solar power project at ₹2.48 per unit tariff for a 30-year period.
