CM N Chandrababu Naidu allows APCRDA to take 10,000 crore loan from commercial banks

VIJAYAWADA: The State government has taken a decision to give the guarantee to the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) for availing the loan of 10,000 crore from commercial banks.

The State Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at the Interim Government Complex in Velagapudi on Friday, approved to allow the APCRDA take loans for expediting works in Amaravati.

Disclosing the Cabinet meeting’s details to media persons, Information and Public Relations Minister Kalava Srinivasulu said the Cabinet approved to construct four lakh houses with NREGA funds under NTR Rural Housing Scheme in 2019-20 fiscal year. The unit cost fixed at `2 lakh for SC and ST beneficiaries and `1.50 lakh for other beneficiaries.

To encourage setting up of education and health institutes in Tirupati, Amaravati and Visakhapatnam, the Cabinet felt that it would be better to give lands to such institutes at cheaper rates than existing market prices so as to develop the three cities as education hubs. The chief minister directed the officials to prepare an action plan in this regard.

Discussing viral fever, swine flu and dengue cases in the State, the Cabinet stated that private hospital managements were fleecing patients and exploiting them.

Noting that the private hospital staff frighten the patients despite having 40,000 platelets count, the ministers underscored the need for a strict vigil on private hospitals to curtail such practices. They also stressed on better maintenance of sanitation, drainage system, drinking water supply and controlling mosquitoes.

The Cabinet also opined that it was better to set up solar electricity plants on the irrigation canals across the State under PPP mode so as to make use of the energy for the lift irrigation projects. The CM directed the water resource officials to produce electricity required for the needs of the department.

Other key decisions

• Two months pension to weavers in monsoon. Each family will get `2,000 per month. As many as 90,765 weaver families will benefit under the scheme
• To study prevailing drought conditions so as to include more mandals in the list of drought hit
• Government to give guarantee to APSRTC to avail `500 crore loan from SBI at an interest rate of 8.25 %
• To search favourable locations for setting up industrial townships
• Approves the decision taken by Chief Engineer to handover some works taken up under HNSS Project to new agencies in tender system
• Sanction of 192 posts in 12 junior colleges running under Social Welfare department