Chandrababu Naidu urges Amit Shah to grant legal status to Amaravati

New Delhi: AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has requested Union Home Minister Amit Shah to grant legal status to Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh. He also submitted a memorandum seeking the Centre's cooperation on various state-related issues.

As part of his Delhi visit on Tuesday the Chief Minister met seven Union Ministers, including the Home Minister.
During his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the Chief Minister sought financial support under the Purvodaya scheme to transform Rayalaseema into a horticulture hub. He also requested the release of the Centre's share for various centrally sponsored schemes.
In his meeting with Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the Chief Minister requested the establishment of a Makhana Development Board in Andhra Pradesh. He stated that the state has favourable conditions for makhana cultivation and noted that there is potential to cultivate makhana over 50,000 acres in the Kolleru region.
He urged the release of funds under the PM-PRANAM scheme to expand community-based natural farming in Andhra Pradesh. He requested incentives of Rs 216 crore for Andhra Pradesh under this scheme, as the state reduced the usage of chemical fertilisers in the previous year. The CM also sought assistance of Rs 200 crore for coconut cultivation in the state.
The Chief Minister requested support for setting up a coconut processing park, establishing modern tender coconut markets on the lines of Karnataka, providing advanced training to coconut farmers, and expanding nurseries. He submitted a memorandum seeking the release of Rs 695 crore pending under the 'One Drop More Crop' scheme.
He also requested the release of Rs 100 crore as the Centre's share under the Price Deficiency Payment System for Totapuri mango farmers for the 2025'26 season.
Chandrababu Naidu urged Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil to provide funds for further land acquisition and rehabilitation under Phase'II of the Polavaram project, stating that Rs 32,000 crore would be required. He requested approvals and financial assistance for various irrigation projects in Andhra Pradesh.He requested for approval for the Polavaram'Nallamala Sagar link proposals aimed at diverting Godavari floodwaters to drought-prone regions. He urged that this project be approved under the National River Linking Policy with necessary technical and financial assistance.
The Chief Minister requested that the final report of the Vamsadhara Water Disputes Tribunal (VWDT) be published in the Gazette to resolve the Andhra Pradesh'Odisha water dispute. He also highlighted the ongoing water-sharing dispute between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana over Godavari waters and requested the immediate constitution of the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal.
The CM expressed strong objections to Karnataka's move to increase the height of the Almatti Dam on the upper Krishna, stating that it would severely impact downstream water availability for Andhra Pradesh. He conveyed these concerns to Union Minister C.R. Patil.
The Chief Minister requested Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to develop dedicated freight corridors connecting North and South India. He sought support for establishing a dedicated freight corridor between Itarsi and Vijayawada, and proposed the East Coast Freight Corridor between Kharagpur and Chennai via Vijayawada, connecting major ports.
He submitted a memorandum seeking completion of pending railway projects in the state, approval of new railway lines, and introduction of new services. He requested the issuance of a Gazette notification to ensure that the South Coast Railway Zone becomes operational from April 1, noting that temporary offices have already been set up in Visakhapatnam and that the GM and other officials have assumed charge.
Chandrababu Naidu requested the allocation of empty reefer containers at a 50 per cent concession for banana exports from Tadipatri in Rayalaseema to JNPT Port in Mumbai. He sought approval for the establishment of greenfield mega coaching terminals at Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, and Amaravati. He requested approval for various new railway lines to improve connectivity to Rayalaseema and tribal regions.
The Chief Minister urged approval for high-speed rail between Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada, semi high-speed rail between Vijayawada and Kurnool and a high-speed link corridor between Tirupati and Chittoor. He also requested enhanced connectivity to the Srisailam pilgrimage centre through a new Hyderabad'Srisailam'Markapur railway line, and sought operation of a Vande Bharat service between Vijayawada and Bengaluru via Tirupati.
Chandrababu Naidu thanked the Centre for proposing high-speed rail corridors in the recent Union Budget that connect Andhra Pradesh and requested that Tirupati be included in the Chennai'Bengaluru high-speed rail corridor.
The Chief Minister informed Union Urban Development Minister Manohar Lal Khattar that Andhra Pradesh is working towards becoming a Zero Landfill State under the Swachh Bharat Mission. He said an action plan costing Rs 276 crore has been prepared under Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) 2.0 and requested the release of ₹105 crore as the Centre's share.
Later, the Chief Minister met Union Steel Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and thanked the Centre for announcing a special financial package for the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and for its support in restoring the plant's profitability. He stated that the profits were achieved due to the Centre's financial assistance, the state government's support, and the dedication and hard work of the plant's workers and employees.
The CM informed that the Vizag Steel Plant is now operating at full capacity and achieving profits, and requested continued cooperation and support from the Centre for RINL in the future.
Union Ministers including Rammohan Naidu and Pemmasani Chandrasekhar, Minister Payyavula Keshav, MPs and senior officials accompaniedthe Chief Minister.