AP To Ask For Rs 14,800 Cr From Centre

The Andhra Pradesh government will be seeking a enormous Rs 14,800 crore funds, of which Rs 5,998 crore would be additional central assistance for agriculture during the Eleventh Plan period at a day-long review of agriculture, infrastructure and projects pertaining to the state. Finance minister P Chidambaram, agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, deputy chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia, and secretaries of various departments will accompany the Prime Minister. An important proposal on the agriculture front from chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy would be to request the Centre to increase the minimum support price (MSP) for all foodgrain crops in a bid to increase production. Besides, the government has lined up proposals worth Rs 1,280 crore meant for measures to improve the productivity of various crops from the present average of 2,000 kg per acre to 4,000 kg per acre during the current year. The chief minister would brief the Prime Minister and the Union ministers on various steps being initiated by the state government for improving agriculture and infrastructure.

On the infrastructure front, the state government would seek Rs 8,800-crore assistance in the form of gap funding as well as grant for various projects in roads, energy and other sectors. An inter-city high speed rail corridor between Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad is among the new proposals to be presented before the Prime Minister. The government would also seek approval and speedy execution of 19 national highway four-laning projects, refinery project of ONGC, petrochemical region at Visakhapatnam, domestic gas pipeline network project, and gap funding for the Hyderabad outer ring road project besides irrigation projects.