YSR to thwart bid to shift BHEL-NTPC project
Hyderabad, June 18: During his two-day visit to New Delhi on Thursday and Friday, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy will make an all-out bid to thwart the attempts by his Rajasthan counterpart Ashok Gehlot to prevail upon the Centre to establish the BHEL-NTPC joint venture to manufacture power equipment in his State.
The Andhra Pradesh government had announced allotment of 750 acres of land for the Rs. 6,000- crore project at Mannavaram near Srikalahasti in Chittoor district.
Dr. Reddy, who is leaving for New Delhi on Thursday is said to be keen that the Union government does not succumb to any pressure and change its mind. He is also expected to request Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to lay the foundation stone for the project that will provide direct employment to 6,000 people and indirect work for another 30,000 people.
Apart from meeting the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister is also planning to call on AICC president Sonia Gandhi and greet party general secretary Rahul Gandhi on his birthday on Friday.
He is expected to call on a number of Central Ministers seeking funds for the ongoing projects and special attention to some new ventures.
Developmental plan
The Chief Minister has prepared a comprehensive 30-page developmental plan, which he plans to submit to the Prime Minister and the UPA chairperson, and seek enhanced funding for Arogyasri, 104 and 108 services. He is expected to pitch for more funds for several programmes that the government had initiated in the last five years.
–Agencies