Kakinada (East Godavari dist), Jan 27:
Calling for a concerted fight to mount pressure on the Government for according
special status for the State, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has said that the road for
development is only through special status which Chandrababu Naidu is trying to
push it to the backburner and even going to the extent of calling it
unnecessary.
Addressing a large number of students
and youth gathered here on Wednesday as part of the Yuva Bheri, the
Leader of Opposition in his inspiring speech to create awareness on the special
status said that the only mantra for development is special status and it is
our right which we are being denied.
‘We have to join hands and fight for our
right as it is only through special status that we get more employment
opportunities and economic activity which will lead to increase in standard of
living and quality of life. Uttarakhand, after getting special status, has got
over 2,000 industrial units with the inflow of over 30,000 crore investments
creating numerous jobs and there was an increase of 490 % in employment
opportunities.
This clearly shows that jobs will be
created, employment opportunities will be increased, industries and investments
will come in and with a 972-km long coastline, the economy will boom and every
section will be part of the development process.
Chandrababu Naidu has been trying hard
to impress that the era of special status is a bygone one. But that is a
blatant lie. In a written reply to our MP YV Subba Reddy, the Centre has said
in July 2015 that the Government has no intention to withdraw the special
category status which is in force in 11 states of the country. This calls the
bluff of Chandrababu Naidu.
The beneficiaries of the special status
will be the youth and students who will be looking forward for jobs as the
promise was made to compensate the loss we occurred by losing Hyderabad in the
process of division of the state.
There was an assurance given by the
Prime Minister and a cabinet decision was taken and sent to the concerned
authorities. All that is needed is a signature by the Prime Minister and the
will of the State Government to pursue the matter. The special status issue was
incorporated in the manifesto of the TDP-BJP combine and even said it would
increase the term from five years to ten years.
This is not being done as Chandrababu
Naidu has placed his personal gains ahead of public interests and has
compromised after his involvement in numerous scams, more so the cash for vote
scam.
If special status is accorded the state
will get 90 % of the funding in the form of grants, which need not be repaid
besides exemptions and tax holidays which encourages big industrial houses to
set up their business units in the state which in turn will throw open more
employment opportunities to the youth,’ he said addressing a packed auditorium.
Permission was denied to hold interaction with students in the university
campus.
During the division of the state, it was
announced that Andhra Pradesh has 1,42,808 jobs but there was no APPSC
notification nor was the employment calendar announced and on the contrary
35,000 field assistants were sacked and the staff of Arogyamitra are being
threatened to be sacked.
The Arogyamitra staff was recruited
through an online examination and Anganwadi workers are also on strike seeking
pay hike and regularization. The government is not showing any interest though
Chandrababu Naidu during electioneering has promised to provide jobs to every
household failing which unemployment stipend would be paid. Nothing has
materialized even 20 months after TDP coming to power.
There is lot of talk on special package
which finds no mention before elections and all the assurances put together is
being offered as a special package which is nothing additional and no match to
special status.
‘There is another propaganda going that
that special status states will get limited resources which is wrong. The
devolution of funds is being done under the DR Gadgil formula which was later
improvised and came to be known as Gadgil-Mukherjee formula and special
category states will get large number of benefits which will pave way for
development.
This government is insensitive and
intends to drag the issue to put it to sleep. Instead of going to Singapore and
Malaysia, it is better if Chandrababu Naidu sits in the Prime Minister’s office
and he insists on the special status which he will not do due to personal
reasons.
We have to fight for our rights and with
the support of youth, who will be the beneficiaries of special status, we shall
mount pressure on the government to attain special status,’ he said.
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