India can only grow if stays focused on innovation,infrastructure, inclusive growth

HYDERABAD: "India can only grow if we focus on three 'I's: Innovation, Infrastructure, and Inclusive Growth,"said Minister KT Rama Rao in Warangal on Friday.

KT Rama Rao recalled what he proposed in a meeting with the Prime Minister of India a few years ago during his interaction with students following the inauguration of AICTE- IDEA lab at KITS, Hanamkonda.

"The Prime Minister of India has called for a meeting in Delhi with all parties to seek our opinion on the occasion of 75th Independence day. In the meeting, I represented the Bharat Rashtra Samithi(BRS) party and was asked what should be done to make India a first-world country. I just advised that if India truly wants to grow, we need to focus on three 'I's: Innovation, Infrastructure, and Inclusive Growth."

While elaborating on what he meant by 'Innovation, Infrastructure, and Inclusive Growth'. He said he was amazed by the kind of infrastructure they had in the US when he was masters.

"Not only is their infrastructure impressive, but so is their mindset. According to American President John F. Kennedy, 'The good highways in America are not because it's a rich country, but America became rich because of its good highways'."

KTR said, "This demonstrates that infrastructure is something we cannot compromise on. If a state, city, or country wants to progress, there is no substitute for building infrastructure and aspiring to be a first-world country. So, when I met with the Prime Minister, I told him that we need to build all kinds of infrastructure, including rural infrastructure, urban infrastructure, power infrastructure, water resources infrastructure, and airports. We should also be aggressive in our economic reforms and encourage a large amount of capital investment."

While pushing students to be very innovative in everything they did, KTR said, "Telangana government, led by Chief Minister KCR, took many innovative measures in administration.Under his leadership, we received a new panchayati raj legislation, a new municipal law, a TS-iPASS law, and a slew of other laws. Giving a building permit in 20 days, with automatic approval on the 21st, is an example of innovation."

"So what I mean is that innovation does not have to be limited to start-ups; rather, innovation can be found in administration and in everything," he explained.

KTR laid emphasis on Indian-made products and businesses, saying that instead of focusing only on taking up jobs immediately after higher studies, students to pursue entrepreneurship and generate employment in our country.

Comparing India's growth to that of countries such as China and Japan, KTR said, "We are lagging behind because our priorities are different. We have always competed with countries such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, but countries such as China and Japan have contended like great countries such as the United States, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom. They concentrated on products that were successful globally, and as a result, they outperformed us."

KTR urged all students to be job creators rather than job seekers in order to develop employment opportunities in the country. "Entrepreneurship will teach you so many facets of life," he said, "and there's no better time in India than now to become an entrepreneur here because governments today understand that entrepreneurship is a key to creating wealth, employment, and we have created a conducive environment for you all."