The State government introduced two Bills -- The Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of all Region Bill 2020 and The Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority Repeal Bill 2020, in the Assembly on Monday. These Bills will give shape to the government’s plan of having three capitals for the State, with the Executive capital in Visakhapatnam, Legislative capital in Amaravati and Judicial capital in Kurnool. The CRDA Repeal Act will pave way for Amaravati Metropolitan Region Development Authority (AMRDA).
The Andra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill 2020 also provides for dividing the State into various zones and establishing zonal planning and development boards. The village and (municipal) ward secretariats system that the government brought in October last year now gets statutory backing as it has been made part of the new Bill.
Tabling the Decentralisation and Inclusive Development Bill, Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy said that Legislative capital would be in Amaravati. Raj Bhavan, Secretariat and offices of the Heads of the Departments would be located at Executive capital of Visakhapatnam.
Similarly, the seat of all judicial institutions established under the State legislation, shall, as far as practicable, be located in Judicial capital of Kurnool. The government also proposed to establish Zonal Planning and Development Boards. Two to three districts would be brought under each Board, he said.
“Regional imbalances, absence of equitable growth have caused an acute sense of deprivation among various sections of the state population, leading to disturbances. The logical solution will be to lay emphasis on distributed development and decentralised administration to ensure fruits of socio-economic progress are enjoyed equally by people of various regions,” the Minister said, quoting the recommendations of the High-Power Committee (HPC) of Ministers and bureaucrats, which formed the basis of the new legislation.
TDP raises objection
The TDP legislators raised objection to the introduction of the Bill and stormed the Speaker’s podium. Amid the din, the government also moved the Bill to repeal the AP Capital Region Development Authority Act, 2014.
Tabling the Bill, Municipal Administration Minister Botcha Satyanarayana said that the government, following recommendations of the HPC for decentralised governance and distributed development, decided to repeal the CRDA Act 2014 with substantive savings clauses to protect the interests of the farmers. The landless poor would be paid annuity for an additional five years beyond the tenure fixed in the scheme at the fixed amount per annum equivalent to the annuity of the 10th year. All the assets and liabilities, both current and contingent, and bonds issued by the CRDA with the government guarantee would be transferred to AMRDA, he said.
The CRDA Act was enacted on 22 December 2014 for the development of the State capital post-bifurcation with a specific area demarcated as the capital region. Now that the YSR Congress government has decided to have three capitals for the State, the CRDA Act is proposed to be repealed.
Published - January 21, 2020 08:35 am IST
