Delay in granting special status to Andhra Pradesh irks Naidu

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today expressed displeasure over the Centre not yet granting special category status to the state following its bifurcation in 2014.
He also expressed unhappiness over the inadequate central support for the construction of the state's new Capital city Amaravati.
The CM conveyed his displeasure to Union Secretary (Department of Personnel and Training) Sanjay Kothari who visited the Secretariat in Hyderabad to take stock of the Government employees' distribution between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and also the implementation of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.
Naidu discussed the issues with Kothari through video-conferencing from Vijayawada and wanted the latter to convey his feelings to the Centre.

Special category states get significant central grants and a slew of sops for various sectors.
An official release later said the Chief Minister lamented the inadequate assistance from the Centre for the capital construction.

"People (of AP) didn't want the division but the Congress indiscriminately split the State. It paid a heavy political price for it. Justice has not yet been done to AP in many respects," the Chief Minister told Kothari.
He wanted the Centre to complete distribution of employees between the two states in a proper manner.
"The attitude that we will do something only when asked for is not right. Explain the current situation in AP and the agony of the people to the Prime Minister," he told the Union Secretary.

The Chief Minister also pointed out that at least Rs 5 lakh crore would be required to build Amaravati and also establish institutes of higher learning (like IIT, IIM).
"I have been repeatedly telling this but there is not adequate assistance from the Centre," the Chief Minister regretted.
State Chief Secretary Satya Prakash Tucker and other senior officials also took part in the video-conference.