By IANS,
Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh cabinet Thursday approved setting up of a power plant equipment unit in Chittoor district and allotted 750 acres of land for the same.
NTPC-BHEL Power Projects Private Limited (NBPPL), a joint venture between the National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL), will establish the unit at Mannavaram village near the temple town of Srikalahasti with an investment of Rs.60 billion (Rs.6,000 crore).
The first meeting of the cabinet after the Congress party retained power in the state decided to allot the land for the mega project at a nominal cost of Rs.100 per acre.
Information and Public Relations Minister J. Geeta Reddy told reporters after the cabinet meeting that the cabinet approved the proposal for land allotment for the project, which would provide direct employment to 6,000 people and indirect employment to about 30,000 people.
The meeting presided over by Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy also decided to invite Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to lay the foundation stone for the project.
Reddy said it was a matter of pride for the state to receive the second biggest investment in the state through a public sector undertaking after the Visakhapatnam steel plant.
The state bagged the project last month in face of competition from West Bengal and Maharashtra.
The cabinet also approved a proposal for setting up a veterinary college at Produttur in Kadapa, the native district of the chief minister in Rayalaseema region. The cabinet also allotted 117 acres of land for the college.
The chief minister also decided to review the development programmes in every district. This process will start June 22 from Srikakulam district.