Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday announced a special package of Rs 15,000 Crore for Andhra Pradesh. This will go towards developing Amaravathi, the capital city.
Also, there is a package for the completion of the Polavaram project at the earliest. The project has been a bone of contention between the TDP and the YSRCP.
A package for the Visakhapatnam-Chennai industrial corridor has also been announced. Funds for the development of railways, roads, and waterways have also been announced. Grants for the development of Rayalaseema, Prakasam and North coastal Andhra districts which are backward have been included.
AP will be one of the five Eastern States to benefit from the Purvodaya scheme.
The political narrative around the AP-Centre relations will see a turnaround with this. It has to be seen how well the Chandrababu Naidu government will be able to make the best use of the Centre's allocations. Corruption needs to be curbed, and the execution of capital development projects needs to be perfect. Otherwise, the Modi government could penalize the State in the coming years.
