AP Cabinet clears Piduguralla Medical College expansion
Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday, cleared a series of major financial, housing, health, and infrastructure proposals, signaling an aggressive push for development and welfare.
Briefing the media later, Information & Public Relations and Housing Minister Kolusu Parthasarathy said the Cabinet approved orders to upgrade the Government Medical College in Piduguralla under the PPP (public-private partnership) model.
A new medical college with 100 MBBS seats will be established and the number of hospital beds will be increased from 330 to 420 in line with the National Medical Commission norms. A total of 837 posts have been sanctioned to support the institution.
The Cabinet approved an increase in the borrowing limit of the Andhra Pradesh State Beverages Corporation Limited (APSBCL) by Rs 11,850 crore. The government also permitted the issuance of Non-Convertible Debentures under SEBI norms, backed by a government guarantee.
To accelerate the state’s housing programme, the Cabinet granted a government guarantee to the Andhra Pradesh Township and Infrastructure Development Corporation (APTIDCO) for a Rs 4,451-crore loan from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) (Urban) 1.0. The goal is to complete and hand over 2.61 lakh houses by June 2026. Around 10 lakh people have applied for houses or plots, with nearly 7.5 lakh likely to be eligible. Chief Minister Naidu has directed officials to complete all ongoing PMAY-1.0 houses by October. The government aims to provide permanent housing to all eligible poor families by 2029. The Cabinet approved the cancellation of objectionable plots in Amaravati affected by road alignments. The Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) Commissioner has been empowered to cancel such plots and allot alternatives by a draw of lots, provided they have not been sold. A total of 112 land-pooling plots facing Vastu-related issues will also be replaced. Several land transfers to the Forest Department in Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research (SPSR) Nellore district were approved. The Cabinet also cleared the lease of over 1,180 acres in Kadapa district for a 500 MW solar power project and 1,069 acres in Prakasam district for a compressed biogas plant. Additionally, 9.04 acres in Visakhapatnam were allotted to AIG Hospitals at market rates for a healthcare and research centre. The Cabinet sanctioned Rs 247.12 crore for additional stone quarrying for the Polavaram dam, after experts found much of the earlier material unusable. It also approved Rs 4.49 crore in extra funding for a navigation tunnel and related works under the Polavaram irrigation project, citing difficult terrain and deeper excavations. Reimbursement will be sought from the Centre.
