Amaravati To Get Legal Status As Andhra Pradesh Capital

• The Central Government is determined to complete the process of granting legal recognition to Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh during the ongoing Parliament session. The Union Home Ministry is getting ready to present the bill in the budget session.
• A draft Cabinet note has been circulated among the Union Ministries of Housing and Urban Affairs, Law, Expenditure, and NITI Aayog for their views. The Law Ministry has already given its reaction. The Home Ministry has urged the other departments to supply their views swiftly. After the Union Cabinet endorses the draft, the Law Ministry will draft the bill. Following a second Cabinet approval, the bill will be tabled in Parliament.

A Brief History of Amaravati and Hyderabad

• Per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, Hyderabad was to be the shared capital for the state of Andhra Pradesh and the new state of Telangana for a decade. Nonetheless, the government of Andhra Pradesh had started implementing its policies from Amaravati in 2016.

• In light of the fact that the Reorganisation Act sanctioned Hyderabad as the common capital for ten years, Amaravati did not possess any formal legal status as the capital of the state. With the expiry of the ten-year period, the Andhra Pradesh government made a request to the Centre to announce Amaravati as the official capital.

• The state provided a report with details of the criteria for selection of Amaravati, the administrative functions there, and the capital construction progress. The Union Home Ministry subsequently inquired of the state government the date from which Amaravati should be declared the capital. The state indicated that it would like Amaravati to be recognized as the capital from June 2, 2024, the date on which the common capital period will end.