The worst fears of the farmers have been stoked yet again. Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan on Monday ascertained that the Andhra Pradesh government was committed to create three capitals terming the decision as “wise” even as the decision was challenged in the High Court by the Amaravati farmers.
Addressing a joint sitting of the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly via video conference from Raj Bhavan, the Governor said the Andhra Pradesh government took a prudent decision to three capitals – Executive at Visakhapatnam, Legislative at Amaravati, and Judiciary at Kurnool. Further, the Governor said the decision to create three capitals was for distributed development and decentralised administration to ensure that the fruits of socioeconomic progress are enjoyed equally by people of various regions. In January 2020, the Andhra Pradesh Assembly had passed The Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Equal Development of All Regions Bill, 2020, paving the way for three capitals for the state.
The move to shift the capital city away from Amaravati was challenged in the High Court by farmers of Amaravati who had pooled around 35,000 acres for the capital city following a call by N Chandrababu Naidu of the TDP when he was the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. The protests of farmers in capital Amaravati reached 192 day on Monday demanding that the State government withdraw the three capitals proposal. Despite the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown, the farmers in the region continued their peaceful protests at their homes in the capital villages.
The Governor eulogised all the welfare schemes schemes of the Jagan government, but remained silent on reverse tendering in irrigation contracts, cancellation of PPAs and a host of other projects which were signed during the Naidu regime but reversed in the YSRCP rule.
The Governor parroted the government’s claims that it had fulfilled nearly 90 per cent of all the promises made in the YSRCP manifesto. Of the 129 promises promised in the manifesto, 77 were fulfilled, he said. Additionally, the state government had introduced and implemented 40 new welfare schemes which were not part of the original manifesto. The Governor stated that the government was focused on the ‘Navaratnalu’, or nine welfare schemes, Aarogyasri (medical care), YSR Rythu Bharosa (welfare scheme for farmers), fee reimbursement, Jalayagnam (water management programme), ban on alcohol, Amma Vodi (direct financial assistance worth Rs 15,000 annually to poor), YSR Aasara (loan scheme for women), the Cheyutha scheme (for women from minority communities) and housing for the poor. Around 6.25 people benefitted under the Arogyasri and 67.88 lakh people under Kanti Velugu. The Governor stated the government had spent Rs 15,337 crore on modernisation of hospitals as part of Naadu-Nedu project, nearly Rs 4,000 crore for Jagananna Vasati Deevena, Rs 1,105 crore for Jaganna Goru Modda programme.
