The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : YSR wants MPs to pursue pending projects

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jul 04, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

YSR wants MPs to pursue pending projects

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, JULY 3. The Chief Minister, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, today called upon MPs from the State to pursue with the Centre clearance of the pending irrigation projects, mobilisation of financial resources for them and other issues.

Briefing reporters, Dr. Reddy said that he had requested them to take up issues such as Central Seed Act to check supply of spurious seed, modifications in crop insurance scheme, pending railway projects, Hyderabad International Airport, IIT at Basar in Adilabad district, changes in admission into BITS, Pilani, and extending Vijayawada-Hyderabad road into four-lane highway. MPs from all political parties, including the Telugu Desam, attended the meeting.

He said the Government would seek legal opinion on the suggestion made by some MPs on bringing about a State law to control supply of spurious seeds. If it were found to be legally feasible, it would be brought about. As for the Central Seed Act, it had been pending for the last three years. He had requested the Centre to ensure that the premium for crop insurance did not exceed 2 per cent.

On the changes in admission procedure into the BITS, he said the Government would write to the Centre to persuade the institute to continue the same procedure for this year. He would ask the Law Department to check if the Andhra Pradesh Government could do something about the Rajasthan High Court order. It was following this order that the BITS had decided to change its admission procedure from taking into account Intermediate marks to AIEEE test. "We should not forget that it is a private autonomous college and not under Central or the State Government."

The MPs suggested that the State Government take up the four-lane project on Vijayawada-Hyderabad highway to check increasing accidents, if the Centre disagreed to include it in "golden quadrilateral project". They suggested collection of toll after making it four-lane. His Government would examine the project.

Responding to questions on unabated farmers' suicides, he said it was not fair to expect dramatic changes in a month of extending relief package. The crisis in farm sector had been building for the last several years, owing to its total neglect.

The Government's Rs. 1.5-lakh relief package came in for praise from the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who added Rs. 50,000 to it. Dr. Singh had even spoken of creating self-employment jobs for the family members of those who had committed suicide.

"We have come a long way from the days when the previous Government denied ex-gratia on some excuse and was not even prepared to acknowledge the suicides. We will not hide any aspect like them. We believe in finding solutions to the problems."

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh