VIJAYAWADA: Union Power Minister RK Singh on Tuesday said that the Centre suggested to both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to amicably resolve the power dues issues between them. Replying to a question raised by MP V Vijayasai Reddy in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Singh said the Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had written to the Centre on July, 2021 with regard to the non-payment of power dues amounting to Rs 6,111.88 crore by the Telangana government.
“A meeting was held with the representatives of AP and Telangana. The facts which emerged therein are: This is a post bifurcation event. Power supply is as per the agreement between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Initially, Telangana was paying Andhra Pradesh for the power drawn from it. There is no dispute regarding the principal amount to be paid for the power supplied by Andhra Pradesh to Telangana. However, some reconciliation was required in the interest to be paid on the principal amount by Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Both the States had agreed to reconcile the figure as per the terms and conditions of the Power Purchase Agreement. As the payment has not been received from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh filed a petition in the High Court of Telangana. As the matter is sub-judice, and the power was supplied under a bilateral agreement, the Government of India has suggested to both the States to amicably resolve the issue among themselves,” the Union Minister said.
Sanction more Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas to Andhra Pradesh, BJP MP urges Centre
BJP Rajya Sabha MP GVL Narasimha Rao appealed to the Centre to sanction new schools in Andhra Pradesh as the State has fewer Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) compared to the States of its size. Making a special mention in the Rajya Sabha, Narasimha Rao said the Navodaya Vidyalaya Scheme envisages opening of one JNV in each district. Andhra Pradesh has only 13 districts though the state is fairly large. All 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh have JNVs. “The Ministry of Education says that JNVs are not opened on the basis of the higher/ lower population of a district. But that clearly leads to a major anomaly.”