Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has asserted that the visionary approach and transparent policies of the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) Government have ensured that the State has become a model for the country in the short span of nine years of its formation.
“The State has reached a stage where it has earned a reputation that Telangana implements and country follows,” the Chief Minister said. He was addressing an impressive gathering after unfurling the national flag at Rani Mahal lawns in the historic Golconda fort in Hyderabad on August 15.
The Chief Minister earlier reviewed the parade by Samman Guard and the Department of Language and Culture arranged cultural programmes by a large contingent of 1,200 artistes.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister recalled how Telangana was discriminated against in the Combined State and all the sectors suffered losses. The then “inefficient” leaders of Telangana supported the rulers of the Combined State resulting in severe damage to the prospects of the region. Keeping this in view, the BRS (then TRS) Government which took over the reins after the formation of the State took up reconstruction of different sectors.
This resulted in the State becoming number one in the country in terms of several parameters like per capita income and per capita power consumption. The per capita income of the State was pegged at ₹3.12 lakh, much higher than the national average while the per capita power consumption was 2,126 units, 75% higher than the national average of 1,255 units.
From a stage when Telangana witnessed suicides by farmers and weavers, the State had become surplus in power as the focus in the initial stages was on ensuring the supply of quality, uninterrupted power to all sections. Effective power supply to all sectors including 24X7 free power to the farm sector had become a driving force that influenced the other sectors too.
“Telangana scripted an inspirational story with its success in irrigation and power sectors in the short span of its existence,” he said recalling how the State effectively harnessed water resources to ensure that there was enough water to cater to all its needs with 20 major and medium projects including Kaleshwaram becoming operational.
The Chief Minister said the well-intentioned approach of the Government in the creation of wealth and its distribution among the people ensured that poverty was significantly reduced in the past nine years. A recent report of the NITI Aayog indicated that poverty was much lower in Telangana as compared with the national average. Telangana’s poverty was registered at 13.18 per cent in 2015-16 and it had come down to 5.88% in 2019-21. “A straight 7.3% drop in the poverty,” he said quoting the report.
Mr. Rao recalled the relentless efforts of his Government in ensuring all-round progress covering different sectors and this had ensured that the State was competing with Punjab for the first position in agricultural production in the country while it had ushered in a golden era in the education sector with setting up of residential schools, medical colleges in all districts and other initiatives.
Though the country had achieved significant progress in the past 75 years, it could not reach the desired goals as there was no effective utilisation of abundant natural resources. Inefficiency and ideological bankruptcy of leaders had seen to it that the resources of the country including the human capital it had were not put to effective use for mitigating poverty and other problems plaguing it.
As a result, dalits, minorities, tribals and weaker sections were still facing problems because of poverty.
