Date:15/03/2006 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/03/15/stories/2006031503521900.htm

Back AP Govt to introduce Maritime Board Bill

Our Bureau

The State, with a very long coastline, could promote petro-chemical investment regions, port-based special economic zones and shipbuilding activity, official sources said. State Cabinet wants `creamy layer' slab raised

Hyderabad , March 14

The Andhra Pradesh Government will introduce the AP Maritime Board Bill in the ongoing Assembly session, conforming to the Union Government's directive to all maritime States.

The Centre has made it mandatory for such States to have Maritime Boards to get financial assistance for developing port infrastructure. This was part of the National Maritime Development Policy that sought to create 520 million additional cargo handling capacity.

The State Cabinet, which discussed the proposal on Tuesday, wanted to turn this into an opportunity that would ultimately stimulate export-oriented industries.

It felt that the State, with a very long coastline, could promote petro-chemical investment regions, port-based special economic zones and shipbuilding activity, official sources said.

Creamy layer

With regard to the creamy layer slab for reservations among backward classes, the Cabinet has decided to inform the Centre, suggesting that the annual income slab could be at Rs 4 lakh. (The Centre has put the slab at Rs 2.5 lakh).

The Supreme Court, while issuing a directive in the Mandal case, wanted the Centre and States to identify creamy layers among BCs in order to exclude them from the reservation net.

The State Government, however, wanted to tread a careful path, with a section of BC leaders threatening to launch a political struggle against the creamy layer move.

Obviously to address this problem, the Cabinet had decided to write to the Centre to bring in a Constitutional amendment barring exclusions from the reservation net as was the case of reservations to SCs and STs.

Sources said that exclusion of the creamy layer was not of any use.

Neo-natal hospital

The Cabinet also agreed to allot 4,840 sq yards of land to NICE (Neo-natal Intensive Care and Emergencies) Foundation at Asifnagar to set up a facility. The 60-bed hospital is being promoted by Dr K. Anji Reddy of Dr Reddy's Laboratories.

Paritala murder case

The Cabinet also accepted the report of the A. Gopal Rao Commission that inquired into the murder of Telugu Desam Party legislator Mr Paritala Ravindra.

The one-man judicial commission opined that the murder was a result of personal rivalries and had got nothing to do with politics.

Banning educational ads

The Cabinet has decided to amend the AP Public Examination Act 1997 to stop some educational institutions from publishing "misleading advertisements" in newspapers, wrongly claiming that their students achieved high ranks.

The Government would bring in a Bill in the Assembly, amending the Act.