The Andhra Pradesh State Cabinet, headed by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, unanimously approved several important decisions in its meeting on Wednesday, including the introduction of a new tax policy that will come into effect on October 1.
While briefing the media on the Cabinet’s decisions, the Minister of Information and Public Relations, Kolusu Parthasarathi, announced that the Cabinet has opted for an independent liquor vending system, aimed at improving administrative efficiency. He also revealed that ten percent of the 3,736 3,736 shops in the province will be reserved for the toddy-tappers community.
The Chief Minister has directed excise officials to ensure that quality liquor is available in the market at reasonable prices, with retail outlets allocated through a transparent lottery system.
The Cabinet also approved a proposal to provide 33 percent reservation for Backward Classes (BCs) in legislatures. Additionally, plans are underway to establish an Artificial Intelligence (AI) university and a Skilling Academy in the province.
During the meeting, another important decision was made to revoke the Government Order (GO) which provided for payments of Rs 200 to village volunteers and secretaries, as it resulted in a loss of Rs 102 million annually to the government.
Other decisions taken during the meeting included renaming Bhogapuram Airport as Alluri Seetharamaraju International Airport and setting up of Andhra Pradesh Ex-Servicemen Corporation with a corpus fund of Rs 3 crore. The meeting also decided to rename the Vision Document Vikasitha Andhra-2047 as Swarnandhra@2047 and release the Swarnandhra Vision Document on November 1.
The Cabinet has approved the filling up of 58 temporary posts in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) to strengthen the formal machinery for managing the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) and complaints. To support Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), a corpus fund of Rs 100 crore has been approved for the financial year 2024-25.