Hyderabad: With General Budget to be presented in the Parliament today by the Union Finance Minister  Arun Jaitley, the TDP-BJP combine and YSR Congress are expecting that it will not be as disappointing as  the Railway Budget.

The special representative of the Andhra Pradesh government in Delhi, K Rammohan Rao hopes that the Budget will bring relief to the commoners in the form of affordable prices for the essential commodities in the wake of fall of diesel and petrol prices in the international markets, lower inflation and income tax relief for individuals.

On the crucial aspect of granting ‘special status’ to Andhra Pradesh, he said, “We are expecting the AP Reorganization Act will be addressed in the budget.”  Though the TDP was disappointed with the Railway Budget because it did not address the issue of creation of Railway Zone in AP, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs M Venkaiah Naidu assured that it will be created in residuary Andhra Pradesh.

YSR Congress is appreciative of certain aspects of the Rail Budget that it is no populist but its eyes are on the General Budget and hopes it will address the implementation of the AP Reorganization Act.YSRCP parliamentary party leader M Rajamohan Reddy said, “Our leader has met the Union ministers and reminded them the need to implement the Act.”  What the Centre has to address under the AP Reorganization Act are:

To take appropriate fiscal measures like to offer tax incentives to the successor States to promote industrialisation and economic growth in both the States;support the programmes for the development of backward areas in the successor States, including expansion of physical and social infrastructure; special financial support for the creation of essential facilities in the new capital of the successor State of Andhra Pradesh including the Raj Bhavan, High Court, Government Secretariat, Legislative Assembly, Legislative Council, and such other essential infrastructure even by denotifying  degraded forest land.

To establish an IIT, NIT, IIM, IISER, Central University, Agricultural University, IIIT, AIIMS-type super-specialty hospital and teaching institution, Tribal university (both in AP & Telangana), and a horticulture university in Telangana.

To develop a new major port at Duggirajupatnam, IOC or HPCL to examine the feasibility of establishing a greenfield crude oil refinery and petrochemical complex, establishing a Vizag-Chennai industrial corridor along the lines of Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, examine the feasibility of expanding the existing Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Tirupati airports, Indian Railways shall examine establishing a new railway zone in the successor State of Andhra Pradesh, to establish rapid rail and road connectivity from the new capital of the successor State of Andhra Pradesh to Hyderabad.