Amaravati officially notified as Andhra Pradesh capital

• Amaravati received statutory status as the sole and permanent capital of Andhra Pradesh with the Ministry of Law and Justice issuing a gazette notification on April 6.

• The notification followed after President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which was passed by the Parliament.

• The enactment has ended years of uncertainty and political flip-flops over the capital issue that arose after the 2014 bifurcation of the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh.

• As per the gazette notification, the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Act, 2026, shall be deemed to have come into force on June 2, 2024.

Why did the govt bring in new Bill?

• The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 was enacted to provide for the reorganisation of the erstwhile state of Andhra Pradesh and for matters connected therewith. 

• The provisions of section 5 of the said Act provide that on and from the appointed day, Hyderabad shall be the common capital for the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for such period not exceeding 10 years, after which Hyderabad shall be the capital of the state of Telangana and there shall be a new capital for the successor state of Andhra Pradesh.

• Subsequent to enactment of the said Act, the government of Andhra Pradesh, after due consideration, consultation, and planning, identified and notified Amaravati as the new capital of the state. 

• Significant administrative and legislative measures have been undertaken, besides the infrastructural developments in and around Amaravati, with the objective of establishing it as the capital of the state of Andhra Pradesh.

• During his tenure as Chief Minister, YSRCP leader Jagan Mohan Reddy had announced that Andhra Pradesh would have three capitals — administrative capital at Visakhapatnam, legislative capital at Amaravati and judicial capital at Kurnool. 

• After N. Chandrababu Naidu returned to power in 2024, he announced that Amaravati would be the sole capital of the state.

• The Legislative Assembly of Andhra Pradesh passed a resolution on March 28, 2026 requesting the Union government  for amending section 5 of the said Act, so as to incorporate the name of Amaravati as the new capital of Andhra Pradesh.

• The Bill was cleared by the Lok Sabha on April 1 and by the Rajya Sabha the following day.

• By conferring legal sanctity on Amaravati as the sole capital, the Bill removes a long-pending structural uncertainty that has impacted governance, investment, and growth.

• The capital is envisaged as a global-standard city and the principal growth engine of Andhra Pradesh. 

• With 91 major infrastructure projects worth over Rs 56,000 crore already underway — supported by leading national and international institutions — the formal recognition of Amaravati is expected to accelerate investments, generate large-scale employment, and significantly enhance the state’s economic trajectory.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)