YS Jagan meets Modi, seeks Rs 12,911-cr interim aid for Polavaram

NEW DELHI: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday and sought immediate release of interim and urgent financial assistance of Rs 12,911 crore for the Polavaram project.

The Chief Minister was in the national capital to impress upon the Centre to release funds promised to the State as per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act,2014.

During the one-and-a-half hour meeting with the Prime Minister, YS Jagan reportedly referred to the revised estimates of the Polavaram Project which were pegged at Rs 55,548 crore and the recent approval of repairs to the partially damaged diaphragm wall.

In addition to the pending release of funds such as the Rs 7,000 crore from the power distribution companies of Telangana, the State Government submitted a list of dues from the Centre that included Rs 30,000 crore granted as a resource gap after the bifurcation of the State.

Earlier, the Chief Minister also met Union Home Minister Amit Shah for more than an hour and discussed various issues pertaining to the State’s development and pending funds including that of Polavaram. The Chief Minister, while explaining various social welfare initiatives taken by the Government, enlisted the pending funds from the Centre and also from the sibling state of Telangana.

It was reported that the YSRCP Chief discussed the current political scenario in the State and country following the change of guard in the BJP State unit and also the proposed Uniform Civil Code that has far-reaching ramifications.

The Chief Minister also met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and submitted a list of pending assurances given to the State to offset the financial distress post-bifurcation of the State.