Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi on Friday and sought financial assistance from the Centre for several developmental initiatives being undertaken in the state.
CM Naidu sought an additional Rs 5,000 crore under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) scheme, an official statement said.During the meeting, the Chief Minister highlighted that so far, the state has received Rs 2,010 crore under the SASCI scheme.
According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s office here, he submitted a representation seeking an additional allocation of Rs 5,000 crore for pending capital projects in the state.The memorandum also requested necessary orders on the proposals submitted by the state government for the release of Rs. 250 crore under the Single Nodal Agency (SNA Sparsh) incentive scheme guidelines for the financial year 2024-25.
Welcoming the Purvodaya scheme announced by the Centre for the integrated development of eastern states, the Chief Minister said Andhra Pradesh would greatly benefit from it. He urged the Centre to finalise the modalities for implementing the scheme at the earliest.The Chief Minister, who is on a day-long visit to the national capital, also called on the 16th Finance Commission's Chairman Arvind Pangariya.
CM Naidu was accompanied by Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu, Union Minister of State for Rural Development and Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, Telugu Desam Parliamentary Party (TDPP) leader Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu and other TDP leaders.Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party is a key partner in the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.
The Chief Minister had called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several Union ministers, including Sitharaman, during his visit to the national capital last month.During the meeting with Prime Minister Modi, the Chief Minister had sought financial handholding by the Centre to tide over the "acute scarcity of resources".He said that the fiscal situation in Andhra Pradesh has deteriorated due to the previous government's "misadventures".