AP draws up special plan for backward areas

The Andhra Pradesh government is considering setting up a statutory authority to determine the backward districts and regions in the state.

Replying to the debate on the motion of thanks for the Governor's address in the state legislative assembly on Wednesday, Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy said that the new body would be created as a statutory entity to decide the level of backwardness in each of the state's 23 districts and its three major regions -- Telangana, Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra.

Without directly referring to the demand for a separate Telangana state, Dr Reddy asserted that his government would set up the statutory board to recommend measures for accelerated development of the backward districts and regions.

He said the statutory authority would recommend enhanced budgetary allocations, measures for human resource development and creation of employment opportunities.

He said that the Central Finance Commission and the State Finance Commission were statutory bodies that recommended special measures for development of backward states and backward rural and urban areas respectively.

Now, the Congress government in the state was focusing on backward areas' development by initiating special measures and making higher separate budgetary allocations for them, especially in irrigation, education, health, infrastructure, and rural and urban development sectors.

Air connectivity would be provided and each district would have an airport, said the chief minister. The government will also set up a university in every district in the state.

"We are determined to eliminate all regional disparities," Dr Reddy said and pointed out that the government has earmarked 51 percent of the allocations for irrigation sector for the projects in Telangana region alone.