HYDERABAD: At a time when the Andhra Pradesh government is eagerly waiting for a bonanza from the central government to overcome the financial crisis, the Union government on Sunday decided to release another “paltry sum of funds” to the reorganised State.
In order to to clear pending arrears to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for the financial year ending on March 31 as per the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission, the Centre announced that it was releasing Rs 385 crore to Andhra Pradesh and Rs 150 crore to Telangana under various heads.
In a press statement released in Delhi on Sunday, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley said the Centre was committed to developing the separated states on all fronts. The Union government would fulfil all promises made to the two Telugu states at the time of bifurcation of the undivided state, he assured.
Meanwhile, Union aviation minister P Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Union minister of state for science and technology Y Sujana Chowdary have intensified their efforts to extract the maximum funds to Andhra Pradesh before the current financial year ends. Both the ministers, along with their party MPs, have been undertaking hectic lobbying with central leaders in Delhi for the past few days to ensure that adequate funds are released to Andhra Pradesh.