Overview

• IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh met Union ministers on August 17–18 to press for approvals on highways, refinery, plastics park, NIPER campus, AI centre and Data City proposals.
• Union Minister J.P. Nadda committed 29,000 metric tonnes of urea to arrive by August 21 to relieve the state’s Kharif-season fertiliser shortfall.
• The Union Cabinet’s August 12 approval of a Rs 4,600 crore semiconductor facility under the India Semiconductor Mission was reaffirmed during Lokesh’s meetings.
• Lokesh urged fast-track clearance for the ₹95,000 crore BPCL Ramayapatnam refinery-cum-petrochemical project and greenfield highway and NH-65 widening schemes.
• The minister sought central backing for international partnerships, diaspora engagement and integration of the Deepam 2.0 LPG scheme with the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana.