Cash-strapped AP splurges on iPhones

Hyderabad: The cash-strapped Andhra Pradesh government, which is surviving on ways and means and overdraft from the Centre, has spent Rs 1 crore to present an iPhone6 to each of the 175 members in the State Assembly and 40 members of Legislative Council. 

Andhra Pradesh, over the years, has established a tradition of sorts in gifting each law-maker with a fancy electronic device once a year. During the regime of N Kiran Kumar Reddy, the law-makers were given Sony X-peria, laptop or tablet. Now, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who is back in power after a decade, has decided to continue with the tradition.

At one point of time the YSRCP thought of asking its members not to accept the gift and suggest to the CM to utilise the Rs 40 lakh the government was spending on YSRCP MLAs towards loan waiver or some other such scheme. 

But there was a division of opinion within the party over this issue.  Most of them felt that it was not proper to refuse the costly gift being given by the State Government and they left the final decision to party president YS Jaganmohan Reddy. Finally, they decided to accept the gift.

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