Andhra Pradesh given Special Assistance in lieu of Special Category Status, insists Centre
A file picture of then YSRCP MPs displaying placards demanding Special Category Status for Andhra Pradesh
New Delhi: The Central government reiterated in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday that the Centre was unable to grant Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh and in lieu accorded Special Assistance Measure (SAM) to the successor state of Andhra Pradesh at the request of the state government.
The recommendations of the Finance Commissions, report of Vice-Chairman, NITI Aayog on "developmental support to the successor state of Andhra Pradesh under AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 were the other considerations to replace the SCS with Special Assistance Measure."
This was stated by the Union minister of state for finance, Pankaj Chaudhary, in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday in reply to a question of the YSRCP MP V Vijayasai Reddy.
Admitting that the Chief Minister, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, had been insisting on the SCS, the Union minister said that the SCS had been granted in the past by the National Development Council (NDC) for plan assistance. A number of features necessitating special consideration were : hilly and difficult terrain, low population density and or sizeable share of tribal population, strategic location along borders with neighbouring countries, economic and infrastructural backwardness and non-viable nature of state finances.
The Union government being committed to support the development of successor state of Andhra Pradesh and keeping in mind the obligation emanating from the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 too provided the Special Assistance Measure which would make up for the additional Central share the state might have received during 2015-16 to 2019-20, if the funding of Central-sponsored schemes would have been shared at the ratio of 90:10 between the Centre and the State.
Under the Special Assistance Rs 19,846.199 crore had been disbursed in the five-year period and it had been released by the department of expenditure, ministry of finance. In addition, as per the Revenue Deficit Grant, Rs 22,112 crore for 2015-20 and Rs 5,897 crore for the year 2020-21 had been released, he added.