The step motherly attitude of the Narendra Modi-led central government towards the development of the Andhra Pradesh by denying its rightful claim of special package, which was promised in the AP Reorganization Act and also the BJP mentioned in its election manifesto, under the so called AP Special Package, so far it has given only Rs 15.81 crore.
It may be recalled that Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and several other BJP leaders have been claiming every time that under Special Package the Center is providing thousands of crores of rupees, which is more than benefits from Special Status to the state.
But now the government itself admitted that under the special package announced to the state in lieu of status, the central government has so far given only Rs 15.81 crore. This was the reply received by RTI Activist Inaganti Ravi Kumar, when he sent a question under the act to the Expenditure Department of the Union Finance Ministry.
The BJP government that came to power at the Center in 2014 announced that it would not be possible to fulfil its commitment of special status to the state, taking plea from the Finance Commission’s Report. At that time, BJP leaders said that more than the status will be given in the package.
With the latest reply given by the finance department, it has been revealed that the state got only a nominal amount due to the package. Apart from this, Rs 35,492 crore has been given under the AP Reorganization Act in the last ten years. Besides, the center has given only Rs. 16,079 crores for the resource gap and Rs. 15,147 crores for the Polavaram project.
The center gave up to 3000 crores for the first three years of deficit compensation, but after that, it did not give a single rupee for the next five years. Due to the elections, Rs.10,461 crores were given in the last financial year.
Even for the construction of the capital, in the first three years, the Center gave Rs. 2,500 crores and did not release a single penny after that. Rs. 350 crores were to be given annually to the backward districts for 10 years, but Rs.1,750 crores were given only for five years. Not a single rupee was released in the years 2017-18, 2018-19, 2021-22, 2022-23.