Trailblazer Telangana: KTR encapsulates multi-sectoral development, challenges opposition to counter his narrative

HYDERABAD: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president and IT Minister KT Rama Rao (KTR) presented the trailblazing development achieved by the BRS Government and asked the opposition if they could show a better alternative.

Presenting a detailed growth pattern of the newborn State of Telangana from 2014 to date, the BRS working president on Thursday summed up the decade-long development work done by the Telangana Government in transforming the State which was once a drought-prone, impoverished, and neglected region under the rule of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh Government.

“Today the schemes implemented in the State are copied by the Centre and other States by changing their names like our flagship programme Mission Bhagiratha has become ‘Har Ghar Jal’, is there any other State Government in India that has achieved so much in less than ten years,” KCR said.

Clarifying the sagging of pillars of Medigadda barrage under the world's largest multi-stage lift irrigation project Kaleshwaram, KTR said that structures of major irrigation projects do undergo problems once in a while and reminded everyone that Medigadda was only a part of the huge project consisting of three barrages and 20 lifts and hundreds of canals and tunnel.

“There could be engineering and civil engineering lacunae, which is common. Similar problems occurred in Nagarjunsagar, Srisailam, and Kadem projects, they were rectified, and the projects are operating perfectly now,” he said and urged opposition parties not to play politics on Kaleshwaram, which provides irrigation to 45 lakh acres.

Assuring that the sagging portion of Medigadda would be repaired by the construction company with no extra burden on the State exchequer, KTR said that yet another mega lift irrigation project, Palamuru Ranga Reddy, is getting ready and would irrigate another 12.5 lakh acres of land in south Telangana.

“We have undertaken these projects without any help from the Centre. We have a very hostile Government at Centre that is averse to granting us our legitimate share of river water,” KTR observed.

He said that the per capita income in Telangana grew from Rs 1,24,104 to Rs 3,17,115 and the gross domestic product (GSDP) jumped from Rs 5.05 lakh crores to Rs 13.27 lakh crore after the formation of the State. “Telangana is the fastest growing State in the country which has reduced multidimensional poverty from 13.18 percent to 5.8 percent. Similarly, we are next to Punjab in paddy production by producing 3.5 crore tons,” he observed.

Explaining how Telangana put a stop to an exodus of agricultural labour from certain districts, KTR said that BRS Government made Telangana drought-proof. “ Once the UN categorised Nalgonda as a place not fit for human habitation. Nine districts in the Telangana region were provided special grants under the ‘Backward Region Grant Fund’ because they were so backward. Now we turned the tables. Today all districts in Telangana have per capita income above the national average,” KTR added.

Highlighting the achievements made by the Telangana Government in Agriculture, KTR said that round-the-clock quality power free of cost, Rytu Bandhu financial assistance, Rytu Bima insurance, and the five revolutions, including green, pink, blue, white, and yellow revolutions had transformed subsistence agriculture into a lucrative occupation.

The IT Minister said that Telangana would achieve a production of 24,000 MW once the Damaracherla thermal unit started working. Enlisting other development programmes like 'Palle Pragathi' and 'Pattana Pragathi', welfare programmes like Asara pensions, KG to PG education, the establishment of 34 medical colleges, creation of 10 lakh IT jobs, the BRS working president pointed out that the State had left no sector untouched in the past ten years.

Exuding confidence that the BRS would return to power with a thumping majority, he urged voters to compare the development that the State had achieved before electing the next Government.