Andhra Pradesh needs more central assistance: Venkaiah Naidu

HYDERABAD: Union minister for urban development and parliamentary affairs, M Venkaiah Naidu, on Sunday appealed to the Congress to support the Insurance Bill seeking to increase FDI limit in the sector from 26% to 49%. He also assured that the Centre was committed to fulfill its promises to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana according to the State Reorganisation Act, emphasizing that the former needed more attention because of the 'injustice it suffered due to bifurcation'. "The NDA doesn't have a majority in the Rajya Sabha and we need cooperation of the Congress and other parties to pass the Bill. I appeal to opposition parties to support the legislation in the interest of the country's economy," Naidu said. He said he would meet various opposition party leaders in Delhi on Monday prior to introduction of the Bill in the Parliament. The government was supposed to introduce the Bill last Thursday, but the Congress sought more time to study the Bill, 'because of which its introduction was postponed to Monday', the minister said. He said the government is willing to accommodate the views of opposition leaders in this regard. Naidu said he reiterated to the chief ministers of AP and Telangana about the Centre's assistance to both states when they met him separately in Hyderabad on Saturday. "AP needs more attention since the state suffered injustice due to bifurcation. It is suffering revenue deficit as major institutions remained with Hyderabad. I have asked the AP CM to come to Delhi with proposals and the Centre would consider them after a detailed discussion," said Venkaiah. Assuring the Centre's support for development of Telangana, he said Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's proposal to merge the Centre's housing scheme with that of the state's had a merit and the Centre would consider it. He said the urban local bodies must take responsibility and play active role in the development by ensuring resource mobilisation through efficient tax collection. While asserting that the students had the right to study anywhere in the country, Venkaiah advised AP and Telangana to cooperate with each other on issues such as fee reimbursement. The minister also said the Centre was mulling to bring in legislation to regulate the burgeoning real estate sector. "The government has proposed to bring in the Real Estate Development (Regulation) Bill. We will consult all the stakeholders including the builders before drafting the Bill," he added. Andhra Pradesh depuy CMs meet governor HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh deputy chief ministers K E Krishnamurthy and Chinnarajappa on Sunday called on governor ESL Narasimhan at the Rajbhavan. The duo is understood to have petitioned with the governor against the Telangana government's adamant stand on the student fee reimbursement issue and requested Narasimhan to intervene to protect the interest of the anxious students.