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Naidu's parleys with Centre yield Rs 6.63 billion for AP

The Andhra Pradesh government seems to have benefited to the tune of Rs 6.63 billion of additional central funds following hectic lobbying by Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu with eight different ministries of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government at the Centre yesterday.

The state could get a relief to the extent of Rs 2 billion if the Union Cabinet agrees to the state proposal, seeking 50 per cent reimbursement of the expenditure incurred on anti-Naxalite operations. This has reportedly been promised by the Centre.

Union Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani had reportedly directed the authorities concerned to put up the proposal for discussion in the next Cabinet meeting, official sources said.

The ministry had also ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the alleged fake currency racket unearthed recently in Andhra Pradesh following a request made by the state government.

The Centre had also sanctioned an additional 996 watershed projects involving Rs 2.5 billion. It had also allocated Rs 1.05 billion for 21 wasteland development schemes and Rs 830 million under the Employment Assurance Scheme.

The Centre also assured the state that the storage capacity of onions would be raised by 500,000 tonnes shortly while efforts to redress the grievances of tobacco farmers would be made in the Tobacco Board meeting scheduled on March 24 and 25.

The power ministry had reportedly agreed to consider the proposal to amortise the loans given to the Andhra Pradesh State Electricity Board by the National Thermal Power Corporation and the Neyveli Lignite Corporation besides extending benefits for undertaking power sector reforms in the state beyond the stipulated cut-off date of April 1, 1998.

While the environment ministry agreed to clear the Srisailam Tiger Reserve Project at Velugode, clearance for the proposed fertiliser factory in Nellore by the IFFCO would be considered shortly by the fertiliser ministry, official sources added.

UNI

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