# Somu Veerraju requests Central aid for Polavaram tourism corridor 2026-08-15T20:49:00+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet BJP MLC Somu Veerraju has urged the Union government to support tourism development around the Polavaram project and establish a National Palmyra Development Board in Andhra Pradesh. He met Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in New Delhi and submitted a memorandum seeking Central assistance. Veerraju proposed a Rajamahendravaram-Polavaram-Bhadrachalam spiritual, heritage, eco and river cruise tourism corridor. He requested funding for Godavari riverfronts and eco-tourism projects in the Papikonda region. He also appealed for special financial assistance under the Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD schemes ahead of the Godavari Pushkaralu in 2027. Later, he met Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and sought the establishment of a National Palmyra Development Board at Pandirimamidi village in Polavaram district. He also proposed large-scale plantation of palmyra trees under the Vriksha Bharati Green programme. ## Coverage - thehansindia.com This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Andhra Pradesh, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Ministry of Tourism, Polavaram Project, Somu Veerraju Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/somu-veerraju-requests-central-aid-for-polavaram-tourism-corridor/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/somu-veerraju-requests-central-aid-for-polavaram-tourism-corridor/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/