Minister Keshav seeks Central aid for river-linking projects in Andhra Pradesh
VIJAYAWADA: Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav has urged the Centre to give priority to river linking projects in Andhra Pradesh in the Union Budget 2025-26.
Participating in a meeting chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Rajasthan as part of the exercise to prepare the Union Budget for the next fiscal, he said nearly 2,000 TMC of Godavari flood water flows into the sea annually. On the other side, Rayalaseema region experiences low and erratic rainfall, and is perennially affected by drought.
The AP government has envisioned to link Krishna, Penna and Vamsadhara to take the surplus water through a series of canals and reservoirs to the drought-prone and backward districts of Rayalaseema and South-Coastal districts, he explained.
Mentioning that the Centre recently announced support to link 11 rivers in Rajasthan to transform it into a water-surplus region, Keshav urged the Centre to provide financial assistance to the river linking project of AP in the Union Budget 2025-26 on similar lines.
He requested the Centre to adopt 90:10 funding pattern for all the Centrally Sponsored Schemes in Purvodaya States and provide viability gap funding for different PPP projects such as development of road infrastructure, airports, ports and metro rail projects in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.
He sought sanction of five Textile Clusters for AP keeping in view the huge number of weavers in the State.