Hyderabad, Nov 08: Keeping alive the guessing game on snap polls, Andhra Pradesh cabinet today unveiled a string of sops for various sections and local bodies while maintaining a studied silence over advancing the elections. The unscheduled, week-end cabinet meeting, held against the backdrop of strong indications of early polls, gave its nod of approval to a host of administrative sanctions accorded in the past few days covering welfare sector. Skirting the much-awaited issue of dissolution of assembly, the marathon four-hour-long meeting, chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, confined its focus to approving a slew of welfare packages for handloom weavers, fishermen and industrial workers, besides transferring additional powers to local bodies. Asked whether the issue of early polls was discussed at the meeting, the Information Minister S Chandramohan Reddy quipped "elections will certainly be held next year."
The cabinet approved a Rs 279 crore package for handloom weavers and textile workers that included setting up of four apparel export parks, 12 textile parks and 19 handloom bazars across the state. It was also decided to take up construction of 17,000 pucca houses for fishermen with a total subsidy component of Rs 39.95 crores, Reddy said.Doling out sops for industrial workers, the cabinet promised to take up construction of houses for them and announced constitution of a cabinet sub-committee to prepare an action plan for the purpose.
Bureau Report