PNS | VIJAYAWADA
The Central government has clarified on the release of Polavaram funds on Thursday. Replying to the question asked by YSRCP member Vallabaneni Balashowry, Minister for State for Jal Shakti in a written reply said that the Polavaram funds will be released after the proposals sent by the State government are approved by the Centre.
Minister Bishweswar Tudu said that the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, has on June 5, communicated no objection to additional funding for completing the balance work of PIP for filling of water up to 41.15 m, amounting to Rs 10,911.15 crore and Rs 2,000 crore for cost of repairing damages caused to PIP by flood, subject to the approval of the Cabinet, by modifying the earlier Cabinet decision. The proposal of Government of Andhra Pradesh for ad hoc release of Rs 10,000 crore is subsumed in the above no objection of Department of Expenditure.
He said that the Andhra Pradesh government has, submitted revised cost estimate for balance works for phase I, for storage of water upto EL 41.15 m, for Rs 17,144.06 crore which includes the cost of rehabilitation and resettlement of additional 16,642 project affected families of 36 villages which are to be partially affected in phase I itself, instead of phase II as per earlier plan.
Government of India has been reimbursing, from time to time, the expenditure incurred by the Government of Andhra Pradesh on the project with effect from April 1, 2014. The reimbursement is done upon receipt of verified bills and recommendations from the Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) and Central Water Commission (CWC). Since 01.04.2014 up to May, 2023, an amount of Rs 14,969.36 crore has been reimbursed to Government of Andhra Pradesh by Government of India, against its total approved liability of Rs 15,667.90 crore as balance cost of irrigation component only of PIP, at 2013- 14 price level.
