Araku to soon become a new district of Andhra Pradesh?

Claiming that decentralised governance is the way forward, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had earlier proposed to increase the number of districts from thirteen to twenty-five in the State. Acting on expected lines, the Andhra Pradesh cabinet, on Monday, reportedly approved to create three new districts in the first phase. Reportedly, the Assembly constituencies of Araku in Visakhapatnam District, and Machilipatnam in Krishna District, along with Gurazala, an Assembly segment in Guntur District will soon be identified as new districts.

According to sources, the AP State Government recently sanctioned medical colleges in Araku, Machilipatnam, and Gurazala, which have a low literacy rate and lack medical facilities. It has been estimated that Rs 500 crore – Rs 600 crore will be required for establishing a medical college at the aforementioned places. The Medical Council of India (MCI) will fund up to 60 percent of the expenditure, provided the college is the first medical institution in the district. The prospect of receiving financial aid reportedly prompted the authorities to create new districts. However, an official announcement on the same is awaited.

Araku MP Goddeti Madhavi and Araku Valley MLA Chetti Palguna, on Tuesday, met Rajya Sabha MP Vijayasai Reddy and discussed the implementation of tribal laws and the number of Assembly segments to be included under the proposed district among other aspects.