Andhra Pradesh Wants Amaravati Notified as Capital from June 2, 2024

From Our Correspondent

Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh government has formally asked the Centre to amend Section 5(2) of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, to explicitly declare Amaravati as the state’s capital with effect from June 2, 2024. The proposal, aimed at giving statutory backing to Amaravati’s status, follows a letter from the Union Home Ministry seeking clarity on the effective date for such an amendment.

According to official sources, the Union Home Ministry wrote to the state government on December 1, asking it to specify from which date the amended provision should come into force. In response, the state’s Chief Secretary has now conveyed that the amendment should state clearly that Amaravati is the capital of Andhra Pradesh from June 2, 2024, aligning with the timeline set out in the Reorganisation Act, which had designated Hyderabad as the common capital only for a ten-year period.

Officials indicated that based on the state’s communication, the Home Ministry is preparing a Cabinet note recommending the amendment. The proposal is likely to be placed before the Union Cabinet by the end of December, and the amendment Bill may be introduced during the Budget Session in February.

Why AP Wants a Central Amendment

There is no precedent of the Union government formally notifying the capital of a state, as the choice of capital is entirely the prerogative of the state concerned. However, the new alliance government in Andhra Pradesh has opted to request a statutory amendment for several strategic reasons.

A major factor is the attempt made by the previous Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy administration to derail the Amaravati project by pushing the controversial three-capital proposal. The current government believes that explicitly writing Amaravati into the Reorganisation Act will prevent any future attempts to dilute or abandon the capital, thereby ensuring policy stability.

Officials say the move is also aimed at reassuring investors, industries, and infrastructure developers that Amaravati’s status is permanent and legally protected, encouraging long-term investments that had stalled during the years of uncertainty.

With the Centre expected to move quickly, the Amaravati capital issue—long a political flashpoint in Andhra Pradesh—may soon receive statutory closure.