Centre releases over Rs 4,200 crore to Andhra for Amaravati capital project
Amaravati (PTI): The Central Government has released over Rs 4,200 crore to Andhra Pradesh for Amaravati Capital Development project after it (centre) received the first disbursement of USD 205 million from the World Bank, a senior official has said.
The World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) together committed to fund USD 1600 Million (Rs 13,600 crore), USD 800 Million each, for Amaravati capital city phase-I development, while the Centre will be contributing remaining Rs 1,400 crore, out of the Rs 15,000 crore committed by the Central Government for phase-I of the development.
According to the World Bank documents the project became effective on January 22 this year and the first disbursement of USD 205 million for program advance was done last month.
"Out of this total Rs 15,000 crore, there is a sharing between the World Bank, ABD and the centre. The ADB also may have given same amount (USD 205 million). I do not know exactly how much the ADB has given to the Government of India. The Centre has also released its matching amount of around Rs 800 crore. So we have received a total of Rs 4,285 crore from the Centre on April 1,” the official told PTI.
According to the official , the Centre has agreed to give 25 per cent of the total committed amount as "Mobilisation Advance" and the amount that was released is under this head.
The next instalment of the committed amount will be released after the state government shows some progress and submit bills or utilisation certificates, the official added.
"That (second tranche of funds) will take time. It will take at least six months, because the works have just started and in another two to three months they will pick up," the bureaucrat said.
On some complaints lodged with the World Bank expressing concerns over the environmental and livelihood issues, he said the World Bank and ADB have their own strong mechanism for redressing the grievances which is independent of their board also.
In fact, a delegation of six members, three each of WB and ADB visited Amaravati last month and expressed satisfaction after an inquiry.
AP chief secretary K Vijayanand recently said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will relaunch Amaravati greenfield capital city construction in April, which will entail the resumption of works worth about Rs 1 lakh crore.
The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), part of the World Bank which provides loans and guarantees among others, to middle-income and creditworthy low-income countries will be funding USD 800 besides ADB.
According to the WB document , the Department of Economic Affairs at the Centre is the borrower while the Andhra Pradesh Capital Regional Development Authority is the implementing agency.
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EAM Jaishankar meets Jamaican PM, gifts over 10 BHISHM Cubes
Kingston (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and discussed ways to further deepen "political, economic and people-to-people cooperation."
Jaishankar also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Holness.
"Pleased to call on Prime Minister @AndrewHolnessJM in Kingston. Conveyed the greetings of PM @narendramodi," Jaishankar posted on X.
"Discussed deepening our political, economic and people-to-people cooperation. Value his commitment towards further strengthening India-Jamaica relations," the post further read.
Also, the external affairs minister handed over 10 BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes as a gift to Jamaica.
"Formally handed over 10 BHISHM Cubes as a gift from India to Jamaica, in the presence of PM @AndrewHolnessJM, Health Minister @christufton and FM @kaminajsmith," Jaishankar posted on X.
"The BHISHM Cube mobile hospital system, designed for rapid deployment, will help Jamaica during disasters and emergencies. The gift of these cubes is a statement of friendship, a commitment to disaster preparedness, and an outcome of innovation," the post said.
Jaishankar arrived in Kingston on Saturday evening, marking the first leg of his nine-day tour of Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at further strengthening India's strategic and cultural ties with the Caribbean nations.
Earlier in the day, he interacted with the Indian diaspora and discussed India's ongoing transformation in infrastructure, human development and technology-driven governance and entrepreneurship with them.
He also highlighted the cricket bond between both countries as India gifted a scoreboard to Jamaica.
A scoreboard was dedicated at Sabina Park in Kingston. It is the home of the Jamaica cricket team and is the only Test cricket ground in the Caribbean island nation.
The minister expressed hope that the new scoreboard would witness many memorable innings, including those symbolising the enduring friendship between the two countries.
Cricket has long been a strong cultural bridge between India and Jamaica, which is part of the West Indies cricket team.
Jamaican players, including Chris Gayle, Courtney Walsh and Michael Holding, have played a major role in shaping the legacy of West Indies cricket in the international arena, contributing to its dominance in earlier decades and its continued global appeal.
