Editorial: March of progress
There was a time, not long ago, when prophets of doom had a field day making alarmist predictions in the event of the formation of a separate Telangana State. It was as if darkness would envelop the region once it became a separate State. However, in a journey marked by indomitable spirit and dogged determination, […]
There was a time, not long ago, when prophets of doom had a field day making alarmist predictions in the event of the formation of a separate Telangana State. It was as if darkness would envelop the region once it became a separate State. However, in a journey marked by indomitable spirit and dogged determination, Telangana, the country’s youngest State, has proved that the stones thrown at you can be converted into milestones if you stay focused on the road ahead. With a string of innovative welfare and development initiatives and a consistently above-national-average growth rate, it now represents the triumph of optimism over the prophecies of doom and the victory of perseverance over scepticism. It’s a dream that has been fulfilled because of the sacrifices made by many people and the indefatigable leadership provided by the architect of the statehood movement K Chandrashekhar Rao. A look back at the last eight years provides a glimpse of how visionary leadership can help in overcoming the challenges and put the State on the right track. On every parameter, Telangana is now in the leading position in the country, be it in registering a consistent growth rate or attracting massive investments in various sectors. This is despite the uncooperative attitude of the BJP-led NDA government, which has been deliberately blocking the projects meant for the State. Even at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Telangana hogged the limelight, bagging a rich haul of investments. A clutch of global firms announced multi-million investment plans, including drugmaker Ferring Pharma’s euro 60 million for its second manufacturing facility in Hyderabad and Swiss firm Stadler Rail’s Rs 1,000-crore rail coach factory in partnership with home-grown Medha Servo Drives. The who’s who of the information technology world are looking at Hyderabad as a favoured investment destination. Striking a fine balance between welfare and development, Telangana has set a new benchmark in governance. Sceptics who spoke about darkness enveloping the new State due to lack of power supply had to eat their own words with the State government providing round-the-clock, uninterrupted free power supply to the agricultural sector. From an installed capacity of around 7,500 Mw in 2014, the State now has an installed capacity of around 17,500 Mw. Similarly, pessimistic voices over investment climate were silenced when the State occupied the top slot in the ‘ease of doing business’ and attracted global technology giants. The State’s welfare initiatives have earned wide accolades across the country.
The turnaround in the power sector within three years of coming into being was nothing short of a miracle. Massive programmes such as revival of village tanks, supply of safe drinking water to the villages, redesigning irrigation projects or investment assistance to farmers and round-the-clock supply of free power – they all reflect a clear-cut vision and a perfect balance between welfare and long-term development. The credit goes to the Chief Minister who has been on a mission mode to rejuvenate the rural sector with the help of comprehensive and holistic policies. When taken together, schemes like loan waiver, investment assistance, quality power supply, revival of village tanks, health insurance cover and subsidies for micro-irrigation have left a transformative impact on the lives of farmers. While consolidating gains in the infrastructure sector like irrigation, power, industries and basic needs in villages and towns, the TRS government has introduced several welfare schemes covering all sections of people. This approach has helped Telangana achieve record growth during these years. A striking feature of these achievements is the generation of employment in both public and private sectors – 1.33 lakh posts were filled in government departments, while 25 lakh jobs were created in private sectors, thanks to the promotion of industrial growth. Another 80,000 government jobs will be filled very soon. IT exports from Telangana have crossed Rs 1.83 lakh crore. This sector alone provides jobs over 7 lakh professionals. Telangana is one of the few States which handled the Covid pandemic efficiently. The State learnt lessons quickly from the pandemic and strengthened its medical infrastructure and health network. Parallelly, Telangana has been at the forefront of the campaign to fight for the rights of the States in the light of the NDA government’s devious designs to undermine the powers of the States. The self-respect of the people of Telangana should not be mortgaged at the durbar of Delhi.
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