Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan attended the State Cabinet meeting at the Secretariat in Amaravati on Wednesday, ending a prolonged absence from the government's highest decision-making forum.
The meeting, chaired by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, began at 10:30 AM and took up more than 60 agenda items, including capital region infrastructure, industrial investments, and land allotments.
Kalyan's return to the Cabinet table follows weeks of political speculation about his absence from governance. According to data released through a Right to Information reply in September, the Cabinet met 15 times between January and September this year.
Pawan Kalyan attended only six of those meetings, sitting through sessions on January 8, April 10, and May 14, and briefly attending on March 26 and June 23. He left midway through the June 4 meeting due to severe back pain.
Health Setbacks And Recovery
The Deputy Chief Minister's absences were largely tied to a series of health issues. He underwent Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS) earlier this year after sinusitis began affecting his eyesight. He later travelled to Mumbai for shoulder surgery and then spent three weeks in Kerala for an Ayurvedic rehabilitation programme to address persistent shoulder pain.
Pawan Kalyan returned to Andhra Pradesh on September 19 after completing the rehabilitation, landing at Gannavararn Airport in Vijayawada.
He resumed official duties immediately and toured his Pithapuram constituency on September 22 and 23, launching development works worth approximately Rs 1,500 crore before heading to the Cabinet meeting in Amaravati.
Cabinet Agenda And Key Decisions
Wednesday's meeting focused on approvals for decisions taken at recent meetings of the State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) and the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA).
The Cabinet was expected to clear additional funding of Rs 644. 98 crore for infrastructure works in the capital region, covering drinking water supply, sewage systems, stormwater drainage, road expansion, and street lighting.
A proposal to call tenders worth Rs 662 crore for a 250-metre spire atop the iconic Assembly building was also on the table, along with plans for Rs 1,548 crore in infrastructure works across 29 villages in the capital region.
The meeting also took up investment proposals in the IT sector valued at over Rs 526 crore, along with discussions on the impact of El Nino weather conditions, drought preparedness, and the state's latest political developments.
Pawan Kalyan's presence at the Cabinet meeting comes at a time when his Jana Sena Party has been pressing for greater visibility within the coalition government.
On September 22, he publicly said he wants the coalition to grow stronger while asserting that Jana Sena would contest all winnable seats in upcoming local body elections without compromising the alliance's unity.