The Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, Y S Chowdary, said here on Saturday that the Union Government would give the best possible package to Andhra Pradesh as promised in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, and there need not be any apprehensions on that count.
He was speaking here after laying the foundation stone for Rs 20-crore laboratory building of the National Institute of Oceanography at Yendada.
He told reporters that though AP and Telangana states were formed on unscientific lines by the UPA-II Government, the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, would implement whatever was promised in the AP Reorganisation Act.
“In fact, we are expecting more than what has been promised in the legislation,” he said and added that the issue was likely to figure at the Chief Ministers’ meeting being held by the Prime Minister on February 7 and 8 for the first time after the constitution of Niti Aayog.
Mobile labs, R&D institutes
He announced that his ministry would prepare a blueprint in three months on promoting science and technology. Mobile labs for students and a good number of premier R&D institutes are likely to be allotted to Visakhapatnam as well.
Stating that NIO’s research lab in the city was the first being launched after the bifurcation of AP, the Minister said in a lighter vein, "Your MP K. Haribabu is always trying to locate all new projects in Visakhapatnam."
“Rome was not built in a day. Hence, we will try for various institutes for the new Andhra Pradesh,” he said.
Coastal regulation zone
He also said that the NIO would conduct studies on Coastal Regulation Zone in Visakhapatnam as a special case without charging any consultation fee.
Chowdary said the Centre would promote incubation centres, horticulture colleges, biotechnology parks and science cities as part of its efforts to spread science and technology across the country.
Responding to a question, he ruled out the shifting of tsunami warning centre from Hyderabad to AP. Minister for HRD Ganta Srinivasa Rao, MPs Haribabu and M. Srinivasa Rao, MLA P V G R Naidu (Ganna Babu), Joint Collector J Nivas, NIO-Goa Director S W A Naqvi and NIO Vizag regional centre in-charge V S N Murthy were present.