A central law to protect Amaravati, Pg9

Key Highlights:

• The Andhra Pradesh government is seeking a central law to protect Amaravati as the state's capital.
• Chandrababu Naidu's government aims to prevent future attempts to shift the capital by legally securing Amaravati.
• A Bill was expected in the recent Winter Session of Parliament but was not tabled.
• The YSRCP government's proposal for three capital cities stalled Amaravati's progress, leading to legal battles.
• The current TDP government is committed to completing the Amaravati project within three years.
• The proposed legislation seeks to amend the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014.

Detailed Insights:

• Chandrababu Naidu envisioned Amaravati as a greenfield capital city starting in 2014.
• The YSRCP government's decentralization plan triggered a legal battle that ended in favor of farmers in March 2022.
• The current government suspects the YSRCP is backing farmers creating obstacles to the Amaravati project.
• The proposed law aims to prevent successive state governments from altering capital-related decisions.
• The central government is empowered to decide the capital, as demonstrated by prescribing a common capital under the APRA.
• Amaravati was declared the capital by the Centre on December 31, 2014, followed by the Survey of India.
• The government aims to amend Section 5(2) of the APRA to legally fortify Amaravati's position as the state capital.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 (APRA): Legislation that divided Andhra Pradesh into Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
• Greenfield Project: An entirely new project that lacks any constraints imposed by prior work.
• Decentralization: The dispersion of functions and powers away from a central location or authority.