AP CM Jagan Mohan Reddy to meet Modi on Jan 3 to discuss state issues

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy will reach New Delhi on Monday afternoon for a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where several issues related to the state will come up for discussion.

The meeting between the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister is scheduled for 4 pm on Monday, official sources here said. Among other things, Jagan is expected to raise the Vizag Steel Plant privatisation issue and also seek liberal financial assistance from the Centre to save AP from bankruptcy, the sources said. Continuation of the state Legislative Council and permission to dovetail PM-KISAN with the state's own scheme are some of the other important issues the Chief Minister will take up.

Jagan last met Narendra Modi back in October 2020. The state Assembly passed a resolution in November 2021, withdrawing its previous statutory resolution seeking abolition of the Legislative Council, after the ruling YSR Congress secured full majority in the 58-member House.

The Chief Minister is expected to request the Prime Minister to complete the necessary formalities so that the Council remains in place. This is one of the important items that the Chief Minister has on his agenda, a top official said.

In March 2021, the CM wrote a letter to the Prime Minister seeking the latter's appointment to discuss various options to revive the fortunes of the Navaratna company (Vizag Steel Plant). Jagan said he would lead a delegation of all-party leaders and representatives of trade unions (to the Prime Minister) to represent to you directly the concerns being expressed by the people of Andhra Pradesh, employees and various stakeholders on the proposed Vizag Steel Plant strategic disinvestment issue.

There was, however, no follow-up action on that, even as the opposition parties and trade unions in the state have been mounting pressure on Jagan to vigorously pursue the issue with the Centre and stall the steel plant privatisation.

As he is meeting the Prime Minister personally after a long gap, the Chief Minister wants to raise all such pending issues and seek redressal, the official, who did not want to be quoted, said. Another major issue is the delinking of the Centre's PM-KISAN scheme with the state's Rythu Bharosa. The Centre recently made it categorically clear that PM-KISAN being a Central Sector Scheme, can't be combined with any other scheme implemented by any state government.

The state government has been paying Rs 13,500, including Rs 6,000 under PM-KISAN, to each farmer per annum, naming the scheme as YSR Rythu Bharosa. With the central government objecting to it, the cash-starved state government will have to bear the entire burden now, in line with the YSRC's electoral promise. Delinking the scheme will only lead to duplication. Since the scheme is being implemented without any hassle now, we want it to be continued in the same format, the top official said. Other issues like funds for the Polavaram multipurpose project, release of pending grants from the Centre and grant of special category status to the state always comprise the Chief Minister's agenda.