Prime Minister Modi betrayed people of Andhra Pradesh again, says APCC chief Sharmila
'Mr. Modi repeated the same lies he had spoken 10 years ago, but packaged them in a more polished way this time,' Ms. Sharmila posted on X.
'According to Section 94 (3) of the Andhra Pradesh State Reorganisation Act, 2014, the responsibility of building the new capital for the newly formed Andhra Pradesh lies entirely with the Central Government. The Centre is obligated to provide basic infrastructure in the new capital. Though the Act clearly outlines the Centre's responsibilities, Mr. Modi has not given the State anything,' she said.
'In 2015, the Prime Minister had laid the foundation stone. This time, he simply dusted off his hands and walked away,' the APCC chief alleged.
Mr. Modi's claim that the Centre had done everything for Amaravati since 2015 was a blatant lie. 'If it is true, why hasn't the capital city been built even now?' she asked.
'Out of the ₹1 lakh crore required for the capital's construction, has even a single rupee been allocated? Has the Centre officially promised to take responsibility for the construction? Has it at least announced legal status for Amaravati? Has the Centre provided any time-bound clarity on the assurances made during bifurcation?' she sought to know.
Ms. Sharmila said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu should do some soul-searching to realise that he was repeatedly being betrayed by Mr. Modi.
Mr. Naidu should explain why he was planning to mobilise ₹60,000 crore loan for construction of the capital, even while claiming that the State had a debt of ₹10 lakh crore and that the employees' salary was being paid with borrowed money, she said.
She also accused Mr. Naidu of pledging the State to the World Bank, ADB, KfW and HUDCO, and also of selling government lands for capital construction.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Hindu
18 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Modi begins U.K. visit, trade deal to be inked today
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the U.K. on Wednesday- (July 23, 2025) evening, kicking off the first leg of his two-nation tour, as India and the U.K. prepare to sign a 'free trade' agreement (FTA) on Thursday (July 24, 2025). During the visit, Mr. Modi and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer are expected to review ties, with the sides discussing technology, investment, climate, defence, trade, and migration. The Prime Minister is also scheduled to meet Britain's monarch, King Charles III. The Prime Minister's visit is fleeting — less than 24 hours long — with Mr. Modi set to fly to the Maldives on Thursday evening to celebrate the country's 60th anniversary of Independence from Britain and the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between New Delhi and Male. 'During my meeting with Prime Minister Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer, we will have the opportunity to further enhance our economic partnership, aimed at fostering prosperity, growth and jobs creation in both countries. I also look forward to calling on His Majesty King Charles III during the visit,' Mr. Modi said in a pre-departure statement. The so-called 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership' with the U.K. had made 'significant progress' in recent years, Mr. Modi said. The meeting comes exactly a year since the two countries signed a technology cooperation framework — the Technology and Security Initiative (TSI). A new bilateral investment treaty is also currently under discussion and a defence industrial cooperation framework was announced earlier this year. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, who is accompanying Mr. Modi on the trip, and his British counterpart, Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, will sign the trade agreement on behalf of the two governments. However, the impact of the trade deal with India is expected to be about 0.1% of GDP (or £4.8 billion annually) in the long run, for Britain, as per U.K. government estimates. Britain's economy is struggling and that a trade deal was signed is itself significant for Mr. Starmer. The British Prime Minister faces strong political headwinds from the right over immigration, and from his own Labour party, over attempts to cut spending on welfare. One area Mr. Starmer has been polling ahead of Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is on the issue of who is most prime ministerial, Anand Menon, a political scientist at King's College, London, told The Hindu. '… Burnishing that brand — one way to do that is to be seen with other world leaders,' he said. The world is unstable and uncertain for both India and the U.K. and forging closer ties with allies is a way of hedging, according to Mr. Menon. 'For neither side does it mean there's some deep ideological or any other affinity,' he said. Following his meetings with the Prime Minister and the king, Mr. Modi will fly to Male. 'I look forward to my meetings with President [Mohamed] Muizzu and other political leadership, to advance our joint vision of a Comprehensive Economic and Maritime Security Partnership, and to strengthen our cooperation for peace, prosperity and stability in the Indian Ocean Region,' Mr. Modi said about the Maldives leg of his trip. 'I am confident that the visit will yield tangible outcomes, benefiting our people and advancing our Neighbourhood First Policy,' he added.


Economic Times
37 minutes ago
- Economic Times
PM Modi reaches UK; likely to seal FTA
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday reached the UK with the formal signing of the landmark India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) expected to be the key outcome of his two-day trip. Modi will hold wide-ranging talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday. Starmer will host Modi at Chequers, the British prime minister's official country residence near London. Commerce minister Piyush Goyal is likely to sign the FTA alongside his UK counterpart Jonathan Reynolds after three years of intense negotiations. The UK views the deal as its biggest trade win since Brexit and hopes it will inject fresh momentum into research and technology partnerships with India. In 2023-24, bilateral trade between the two countries crossed $55 billion. The UK is India's sixth largest investor with $36 billion invested so far, while nearly 1,000 Indian companies in Britain employ around 1,00,000 people. Indian investments in the UK stand at close to $20 billion.


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Staff crunch in central schools: Punjab worst among 3 neighbours
Chandigarh: Even as the Centre pushes forward with the expansion of Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs), alarming levels of vacancies in both teaching and non-teaching posts plague these institutions, with Punjab emerging as the worst-hit state in the region. As of June 2025, Punjab reported 401 vacancies in centrally administered schools — 155 teaching and 57 non-teaching in KVs, and 86 teaching and 103 non-teaching in JNVs, according to data provided by the Union ministry of education in a written reply to MP Ranjeet Ranjan in the Rajya Sabha. In comparison, Haryana reported 195 total vacancies—29 teaching and 28 non-teaching in KVs, and 71 teaching and 67 non-teaching in JNVs. Himachal Pradesh fared slightly better, with 132 vacanies — 34 teaching and 14 non-teaching in KVs, and 34 teaching and 50 non-teaching in JNVs. Punjab accounts for more than double the number of vacancies than Haryana, and over three times more than Himachal Pradesh. At the national level, the picture is no less troubling. Data reveals that KVs have 9,382 vacancies—7,765 in teaching and 1,617 in non-teaching posts. Navodaya Vidyalayas are dealing with 7,379 unfilled positions, including 4,323 in teaching and 3,056 in non-teaching roles. Together, these two school systems are short of a staggering 16,761 personnel. The ministry said vacancies continue to arise due to the opening of new schools, retirements, resignations, promotions, inter-departmental transfers, and upgrade of existing schools. It said recruitment was an ongoing process, and contractual teachers were engaged temporarily to ensure continuity in the teaching-learning process. As part of remedial steps, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan conducted a major recruitment drive in 2022–23, appointing 17,425 personnel, including 13,411 through direct recruitment and 4,014 through limited departmental competitive examinations. Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti filled 2,200 teaching posts through a recruitment drive in 2021–22. Alongside recruitment efforts, the central govt has sanctioned over Rs 24,600 crore under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyaan between 2018 and 2026 to address infrastructure gaps. This includes funds for the construction of classrooms, science laboratories, libraries, toilets, solar panels, and provision of drinking water. So far, more than 4.77 lakh school infrastructure units have been approved under the scheme nationwide.