VIJAYAWADA: The State Cabinet, which met after a month under the chairmanship of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at the Interim Government Complex in Velagapudi on Saturday, gave nod to hand over the Dagadarthi Greenfield, No Frills Airport development works to Messer Turbo Consortium.
The airport coming up at Dagadarthi in Nellore district will be constructed on Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode, for which the Civil Aviation Ministry had already gave clearance. The airport will come in an area of 1,352 acres of land. An amount of Rs 368.38 crore will be spend on the airport.
Disclosing details of the meeting to newsmen, Information and Public Relations Minister Kalava Srinivasulu said that the Cabinet also gave nod for the Water Resource Development department to take loans to a tune of `3,000 crore. The government will give surety for the loans and the amount will be spent on irrigation projects being taken up by the AP Water Resources Development Corporation.
Liquor prices to shoot up The Cabinet approved the recommendations of the Justice Ramanujan Committee to enhance the prices of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and wine. While there will be no price hike in case the base price of liquor case is less than Rs 400, the Cabinet approved to increase the price on the liquor cases having base prices between Rs 400 to Rs 450 by 3 per cent against the 4 per cent recommended by the Committee.
In the case of the basic price of liquor case exceeding Rs 450, the Cabinet approved to increase the price by 9 per cent despite the Committee recommending to increase the price by 12 per cent.
Other decisions the cabinet took are: To provide round the clock medical services in Primary Health Centres in tribal areas by appointing the required medical and paramedical staff on contract-basis.
> To set up one each Special Courts in every district for resolving the cases relating to women under IPC Section 376 and 354 and to accommodate the required staff.
> To reimburse Rs 17.69 crore to Vijayawada Municipal Corporation, which paid the amount on behalf of the beneficiaries of housing scheme under JNNURM for those families ousted from Padmavathi and Visweswara Ghats during Krishna Pushkarams.
> The Cabinet approved the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Corridor Development Act Bill — 2017 to be introduced in the next session of the AP Legislative Assembly.
> To bring a bill on the Municipal Rent Control Act to regulate rents in urban areas
Two takeaways
To organise `Jalasiriki Harathi’ to appease goddess Ganga as state festival every year for three days from September 6 to 8
To appoint a 3-member committee to take action against bogus agriculture colleges