Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is likely to meet Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday, urging for a substantial increase in funding for the state in the upcoming Union Budget, scheduled for presentation on 23 July.
Naidu, currently on a two-day visit to the national capital, had a significant discussion with Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday regarding Andhra Pradesh’s pressing financial needs.
He emphasized the state’s dire economic situation and the necessity for a larger allocation.
In a post on X, Naidu detailed his conversation with Shah, highlighting the severe financial distress that Andhra Pradesh has endured over the past five years.
He referenced four White Papers that outline the enormous debt accrued from FY 2019 to 2024, attributing the crisis to economic incompetence, gross mismanagement, and rampant corruption by the previous government.
Today in New Delhi, I met with the Hon’ble Union Home Minister, Shri @AmitShah Ji, to apprise him of the devastating condition of finances that Andhra Pradesh had slipped into over the past five years. I also discussed the findings of the four White Papers released, outlining the… pic.twitter.com/xDrcOZR1jO
— N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) July 16, 2024
Key Issues Raised
During the meeting at Shah’s residence, Naidu stressed the ongoing repercussions of the unjust bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014 and criticized the prior administration’s governance.
He is also likely to seek an audience with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to further press his case.
This visit marks Naidu’s second trip to Delhi in less than two weeks.
Meanwhile, on 4 July, he presented a comprehensive seven-point development agenda to the Prime Minister, aimed at tackling the challenges faced by the state post-bifurcation.
Naidu’s push for increased funding aligns with similar efforts by other regional leaders.
Notably, JD(U) national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha met with the Finance Minister earlier this week to request a higher budget allocation for Bihar.
Both the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and JD(U) are vital allies within the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and are keen to secure greater financial resources for their states ahead of the Union Budget for 2024-25.
As the deadline for the budget approaches, the pressure on the government to address the financial needs of its states intensifies, making Naidu’s advocacy crucial for Andhra Pradesh’s economic recovery.
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