Jaitley lays foundation for administrative complex in AP

It will come up in Amaravati, across 950 acres area on the banks of Krishna River

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday laid foundation stone for the construction of administrative complex in Andhra Pradesh (AP) state's new capital Amaravati.

Coming up in 950 acres area on the banks of Krishna River, the administrative core will house all the wings of government, including the secretariat, Raj Bhavan and the state legislative assembly among other facilities.

Speaking on the occasion, Jaitley said under chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu's leadership the new capital Amaravati will develop into one of the finest cities in the country.

He said the Centre will continue to support AP liberally and this was evident in the manifold increase in funding to the state after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had formed the government.

"AP had got only Rs 34,000 crore during 2009-2014 period under the Congress government while we are giving more than Rs 2 lakh crore by way of the 14 th Finance Commission grants and other projects promised to the state," Jaitley said.

The Centre had given Rs 1,500 crore to AP for the construction of government buildings in the new capital besides another Rs 1,000 crore for the underground drainage system in Vijayawada and Guntur cities. The Centre has promised another Rs 1,000 crore for the development of infrastructure in the capital city area.

It may be recalled that the state government has already moved its administrative machinery, to a temporary secretariat complex built near Vijayawada city.

Jaitley has played a key role in the recent announcement of the special financial package for AP in an alternative proposition to the demand for special category status, which was ruled out by the Centre on technical grounds.

Chief minister Naidu praised Jaitley for the financial package, which alsoinclude 100 percent funding for the multipurpose Polavaram Irrigation Project in the state.