Financial package will help AP more than spl status: Venkaiah

Hyderabad, Sep 11 (PTI) Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidutoday said the financial package of Rs 2.25 lakh croreannounced by the Centre for Andhra Pradesh will benefit thestate more than the special category status being demanded byit. "Financial assistance announced by the Centre to AP (forvarious projects), sanctioned and underway, will be worthRs 2.25 lakh crore. The state will benefit from this specialpackage more than the special status," the Information andBroadcasting Minister said here. The special status would have brought development to onlycertain sectors whereas the financial package will result inspeedy and overall development across Andhra Pradesh, he said. Opposition, particularly Congress is misguiding thepeople on the issue, and as per the terms of the 14th FinanceCommission, special status can no longer be granted, he said. Saying he was "hurt" by the "harsh" words spoken againsthim by the opposition in the past few days, Venkaiah remindedthat he was the only person who tried to ensure that AP wasduly compensated when the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act,2014 was discussed in the Parliament. "But (my) suggestions were not included in the Act," headded. He sought to know why Congress did not incorporate theprovision of special category status for AP in this Act (whichcreated the new state of Telangana) and questioned what theparty had given to AP during the ten years of UPA government. Enlisting various projects announced by the Centre forAndhra Pradesh, he said, "Perhaps they (opposition) arewondering that the Central government is taking all thenecessary measures within two years when it is supposed to bedone over ten years." The Centre on Wednesday announced a financial package forAndhra Pradesh which includes full Central funding ofPollavaram irrigation project, but stopped short of giving thestate a special category status. PTI VVK KRKSRYJMF