KTR challenges Opposition parties to compare Telangana’s welfare, development schemes

Keeping aside politics, it was clearly visible why Telangana was unique when compared to other States, KTR said at the National Panchayat Awards presentation ceremony

Hyderabad: Challenging Opposition parties to compare the welfare and development programmes being implemented in Telangana with those in Congress and BJP ruled States, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao on Friday questioned the Centre’s contionuing discrimination towards the State despite all the achievements accomplished by Telangana in a short span of time.

Telangana’s per capita income had increased by three times since formation of the State, from 1.24 lakh in 2014 to Rs.3.17 lakh till March this year, registering a growth of nearly 300 percent, he said. On the other hand, a survey by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies revealed that corruption was least in Telangana among 13 States in the country, he said at the National Panchayat Awards presentation ceremony here on Friday.

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However, despite all these achievements, financial sanctions were being imposed on Telangana. The BJP government had insisted on implementation of power reforms, including fixing meters for agricultural pump sets if the State wanted a borrowing capacity of Rs 30,000 crore.

However, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao opposed the illogical decision in the better interest of farmers, he said, adding that the Centre then continued to impose restrictions on loans under the Fiscal Responsibility and Business Management Act in the middle of a financial year. Loans obtained by different corporations too were being included under the FRBM Act and eventually Rs.20,000 crore was cut for the State, he said.

“All this is being done due to political differences between the BRS and the BJP. The BJP is trying to make the people of Telangana suffer for its political grudges,” he said, pointing out that the Centre was also using tactics to delay payments to Sarpanches, and when they raised their voice against the State government for this, those protests were used on social media platforms to derive political mileage.

“A few leaders are also deliberately filing cases to create hurdles in the administration and create unrest in the State. This is their agenda,”

Keeping aside politics, it was clearly visible why Telangana was unique when compared to other States. The integrated development led by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had seen the State launching the Palle Pragathi and Pattana Pragathi initiatives, which helped the State bag 27 awards under Swachh Survekshan rankings. Generally, due to rapid industrial growth, the environment gets affected, but in Telangana, an increase of 7.7 per cent in green cover was registered.

Due to decentralized administration in the form of new districts, growth and development was being achieved at a faster pace. From 2015 to 2022, Telangana bagged 79 National Panchayat awards, including seven for Zilla Parishads, 16 for Mandal parishads and 56 for Gram Panchayats.

e-panchayat Services to be promoted

The Minister announced that computers, printers and scanners would be supplied to all Gram Panchayats across the State for effective delivery of e-panchayat services.

At present, the e-panchayat services were being offered in about 6,000 panchayats. Since the State government was promoting online services in all departments, e-panchayat needs to be strengthened and accordingly brand new computers and equipment would be given at an expense of about Rs.60 crore, he said.

The Telangana government under Palle Pragathi programme had spent a staggering Rs.14,235 crore across the State for different works, including setting up nurseries, Vaikunta Dhamams, dumping yards, plantations etc. No other State government had spent such huge amounts for unit wise rural development in the country, he said.

“If am sharing false figures and facts, people will teach us a lesson. At the same time, if all these facts are correct, they will elect us back to power,” Rama Rao said.

The Minister later urged Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao to announce an additional prize of Rs.10 lakh for panchayats winning district level awards, Rs.20 lakh for state-level awards and Rs.30 lakh for national level awards.