Modi’s Return Gift To Amaravati, Now Polavaram

As Chandrababu Naidu turned out to be a kingmaker in the NDA government after winning 18 MPs( including Janasena) in the recent elections and helped Narendra Modi’s BJP retain power for the third consecutive term, Andhra Pradesh is securing adequate funds from the centre for several key issues pertaining to the development of the state. 

During the 2024 budget, AP got a lion’s share with 15,000 Crore allocation exclusively for the beleaguered capital Amaravati which was neglected in the last five years. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman also assured on financing and early completion of the Polavaram Irrigation Project. 

Besides this bounty, the NDA government promised additional allocation towards capital investment for economic growth grants for backward regions of Rayalaseema, Prakasam and North Coastal Andhra, as stated in the AP Reorganization Act. 

In a significant boost to Polavaram project, the lifeline of Andhra Pradesh, the centre has now forked out 12,000 Crores for the works in the first phase. The decision was taken during the cabinet meeting on Wednesday chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As Polavaram is a national project, Naidu has been pushing for grant of separate funds with an ambition to complete it by the end of this tenure. 

Due to the negligence of the previous government under YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Polavaram was completely ignored and sidelined. As a result of this, the diaphragm wall was damaged due to heavy floods in the last few years. The centre’s financial assistance will be a big boost for the ambitious project. Now, the works relating to completion of the project are likely to gain more speed in the coming days. 

Besides allocating funds for Polavaram, the centre also sanctioned another 2,137 Crores for industrial corridors in Kopparthi in YSR District and 2,786 Crores for Orvakal in Kurnool district. These two places are part of the proposed 10 smart industrial cities across the country.