The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Congress seeks more funds from Centre

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 03, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Congress seeks more funds from Centre

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, JAN. 2. The Congress Legislature Party has urged the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, to release an additional sum of Rs. 217 crores to help the tsunami-hit victims in the State.

The CLP members -- G. Muddukrishnama Naidu, E. Pratap Reddy and V. Vasant Kumar -- on Sunday thanked Mr. Singh for announcing Rs. 100-crore aid during his visit to the State last week. They said the Government had requested for Rs. 317 crores to provide relief to the victims. As the Centre had already allocated Rs. 100 crores another Rs. 217 crores would further come, they added.

The CLP took serious exception to the criticism by the Telugu Desam Party leaders on the relief. They reminded the TDP that in 1996 when the State was hit by a cyclone resulting in death of 3,500 people and loss of property to the tune of Rs. 8,500 crores, the Centre extended assistance of Rs. 60 crores only. During the nine-year rule, the TDP could not manage even Rs. 100 crores for relief work from the Centre, they pointed out.

They alleged that the TDP was trying to find fault with the relief operation as they had faced an embarrassing situation when its chief, N. Chandrababu Naidu, flashed `V' sign during his tour of the tsunami-hit areas. The party was making a desperate bid to wriggle out of the piquant situation and hence targeted the Centre about the relief measures only to divert people's attention, they said.

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