KTR decries Centre’s apathy towards Telangana, seeks huge budgetary support

HYDERABAD: Reminding the Narendra Modi-led Union Government about the promises made to Telangana, IT and Industries Minister K.T. Rama Rao has said that the upcoming Union Budget 2023-24 is the right occasion for the Centre to show its commitment to the development of the State.

KTR has sought funds, projects to be allotted to the State that it is ought to get. After writing a series of letters urging the Centre to support various sectors in the State, KTR on Saturday wrote a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman about the budgetary support that the Union Government had to extend to various projects in Telangana industrial sector.

KTR said that if the Centre truly believed in the slogans - Make in India, Aatmanirbhar Bharat, then support had to be extended to progressive States like Telangana which had the potential to realise those slogans. Stating that Telangana’s pioneering policies achieved notable progress in the industrial sector after formation of the State, the Minister said that world-class infrastructure was being created to meet the needs of industries and attract more investments. As part of it, KTR said, India’s largest textile park, world’s largest single pharma cluster- Hyderabad Pharma City were being established. He said that the industrial parks would usher in development of not only the State, but even across the entire country. Reiterating that the country's progress could be fast-tracked if States were strengthened, KTR sought huge funds to be allotted to Telangana which became a key player in the nation’s industrial sector.

The minister said that though the State sought Centre’s support many a time in the past, it did not receive sufficient funds in the previous eight Union Budgets introduced by the BJP-led Government.

In his letter to the Union Finance Minister, KTR listed the industrial corridors, industrial parks and various other projects spread across the State which needed budgetary support from the union government. The list of requests was as follows:

⇒Funding support to external infrastructure development at NIMZ, Zaheerabad. At least Rs 500 crores funding out of the total estimate of Rs. 9500 crores. State made multiple requests to the Centre on the same.

⇒Budgetary support for development of Hyderabad–Warangal industrial corridor and Hyderabad-Nagpur industrial corridor. At least 50 percent of total cost of Rs. 5,000 crores required to join two nodes of Hyderabad Pharma City and NIMZ Zaheerabad

⇒Fund support for development of Hyderabad–Vijayawada industrial corridor. At least Rs. 1,500 crores out of Rs. 5,000 crores to newly-identified Hyderabad, Jadcherla, Gadwal, Kothakota nodes

⇒Establishing a Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) in Jadcharla Industrial Park under TIES scheme and gas allotment for the same

⇒ Sanction and upgradation of Brownfield Manufacturing Clusters

⇒ Reopening of Cement Corporation of India (CCI) in Adilabad.

⇒ Setting up a National Design Centre in Hyderabad

⇒Budgetary support for Hyderabad Pharma City

⇒Inclusion of Hyderabad in the proposed Defence Industrial Production corridor

⇒Support for development of Kakatiya Mega Textile Park as there is a possibility of extending Rs. 500 Crores as capital and announcement of Rs 300 Crores fund support in this budget.

⇒ Sanctioning of Mega Powerloom Cluster including Textile Park, Weaving Park and Apparel Park in Sircilla under the Comprehensive Powerloom Cluster Development Scheme (CPCDS).

⇒ Upgradation of powerlooms under the IN-SITU Scheme

⇒ Sanctioning of Block Level Handloom Clusters under NHDP

⇒ Establishing an Indian Institute of Handloom Technology (IIHT)

⇒Exemption of GST for Handlooms Sector

⇒Establishing a National Aviation University campus in Hyderabad

⇒ Revival of ITIR or an equivalent scheme

⇒ Establishing an Integrated Steel Plant by SAIL at Khammam (according to AP Reorganization Act, 2014) and special incentives for Industries in the State.