21 Issues Discussed in Cabinet Meeting: Minister Kolusu Parthasarathy
The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, was held today. Minister Kolusu Parthasarathy briefed the media about the proceedings, stating that 21 key issues were discussed during the session.
He mentioned that previously halted projects would be reconsidered, and after review, the Cabinet approved resuming these works. Notably, proposals related to the construction of Amaravati received the Cabinet's green signal, with a target to complete the capital city’s development within three years. The Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) was granted permission to spend ₹33,000 crore on 45 development projects.
The Cabinet approved rescheduling loans in flood-affected areas, including Budameru and 10 other districts. Stamp duty on loans up to ₹50 was waived. The government also guaranteed a ₹1,000 crore loan for paddy procurement through AP Markfed.
Minister Parthasarathy announced that the Cabinet approved re-tendering of the Polavaram Left Canal and sanctioned lining works for the Punganur Branch Canal. A joint venture with NTPC was proposed for clean energy investments, with plans to set up power generation units involving investments of ₹1.70 lakh crore.
The Cabinet approved a mid-day meal scheme for 475 junior colleges, benefiting 1.41 lakh intermediate students across the state. Additionally, loans amounting to ₹11,000 crore from HUDCO and ₹5,000 crore from Germany’s KfW were sanctioned.
Minister Parthasarathy criticized the previous administration for mishandling the Jal Jeevan Mission, resulting in significant losses to the state. He alleged that due to mismanagement and poor governance, crucial funds remained underutilized.
He highlighted that while smaller states like Kerala had submitted proposals worth ₹70,000 crore under the mission, Andhra Pradesh only submitted proposals worth ₹26,804 crore, of which just ₹4,000 crore was utilized. He attributed this failure to administrative inefficiency, causing the people to suffer from inadequate access to clean drinking water.