Telangana flourishes under KCR’s leadership
Rapid strides being made in irrigation, health, education, agriculture, infra and other sectors
Hyderabad: Think Telangana, and the vision that came to one’s mind was of parched lands, frequent power cuts, lack of drinking water, low agriculture production and a general sense of desperation among the people. That was during the period of utter neglect preceding Statehood for the region on June 2, 2014.
Cut to 2021, and Telangana is seen as a shining example of what can be achieved within a short period with visionary leadership, planned execution of ideas and programmes and a single-minded approach to development of the State and welfare of people.
The pre-Statehood days saw the people of the region pining for that sense of security, an essential part of human nature. It was this longing for security that spurred them to wage a long battle for several decades that finally fructified in 2014 with the then TRS president K Chandrashekhar Rao taking over the reins of the new State.
The legacy of decades of neglect was still stark even as celebrations were on but the unpleasant inheritance was soon to be turned into avenues of opportunity. What was required was a visionary leadership that would address these issues, instill confidence among the people and also execute the vision in a planned manner. Having led the movement for a decade and a half, Chandrashekhar Rao was fully aware of these issues and this gave him a head start in administration that soon placed the State on the path of development that was once considered impossible by many. From the word go, the State made rapid strides on all fronts and soon leap-frogged into a position of dominance among the States, setting benchmarks in field after field for others to follow.
That it took only seven years for the Telangana government to emerge out of the shadows of seven decades of underdevelopment speaks volumes of the commitment and planning that went into the transformation. It laid the foundation for comprehensive development of the State as well as its people who could take head-on severe economic crises and an all-pervading pandemic like Covid-19 in an effective manner.
Chandrashekhar Rao put his vision of achieving Bangaru Telangana into practice by prioritising sectors and programmes and executing them in a planned manner. In the first term after coming to power, the Chief Minister focused on five major issues that were major causes of concern that had the potential to put the brakes on the development of the fledgling State. Personal security, life security, power security, food security and water security, all virtually lifelines for a normal life, were identified as essential and became priorities for the State government.
Firstly, the law and order situation was improved to instill confidence among the people of the State that included thousands of migrants ranging from labourers to techies who had made Telangana in general and Hyderabad in particular their home. Very soon, a sense of personal security prevailed in the State. Simultaneously, the government increased social security pensions, health benefits under Aarogyasri, scholarships for quality education and other incentives to provide a sense of life security, ensuring people were self-reliant and dependent on others.
Power supply at the time of Statehood was a major challenge since the progress of any State or region is directly linked to energy availability, be it industry or agriculture. Nay-sayers had predicted dark days ahead for Telangana if the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh came through. Not only did the TRS government ensure quality and uninterrupted power supply to all sectors, industry and homes included, it also began providing free and uninterrupted quality power supply to the agriculture sector, a feat that still remains unparalleled. This had a ripple effect in all the sectors including education, hospitals, hospitality, and other businesses to give an impetus to the economic growth of the State. Food security was ensured for all through supply of food grains to all ration cardholders without any cap on the number of family members.
Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme
Simultaneously, the Chief Minister took up the gigantic task of constructing massive irrigation projects like Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme, a complex network of canals, reservoirs and tanks that has already changed the face of Telangana. Each and every project was studied thoroughly for optimum utilisation and was executed effectively in a time-bound manner. This not only improved the irrigation dynamics, but also resulted in groundwater tables across the State improving vastly. Detractors may have many allegations but the fact remains that people have acknowledged that completion of a project which can hold 200 tmc of water and utilise nearly 500 tmc per annum in three years is no mean feat.
Many States formed before Telangana are still struggling to complete irrigation projects taken up decades ago. But in Telangana, the area under crop cultivation shot up manifolds and touched an unprecedented 1.35 crore acre in the last Yasangi season, and annual paddy production crossing the two crore tonne mark!
Through Mission Bhagiratha, the government provided safe drinking water to at least 99 per cent households in the State which indirectly reduced about 25-30 per cent of health problems faced by people of the State.
Focus Areas
Besides the developmental works, the TRS government, in its two terms, simultaneously focused on other areas that included education, health, afforestation, sanitation, infrastructure development and administration in both rural and urban areas as well as ensuring welfare for all. The government launched several programmes in this direction and is taking steps to strengthen these systems to improve quality of life for the people of the State. Residential schools have and continue to be established across the State providing quality education to the underprivileged sections, and majority of the government schools are being upgraded with new facilities like computer labs, libraries, playgrounds and other facilities.
Health has been identified as a priority sector where schemes like Kanti Velugu were taken up and the health infrastructure has been improved by setting up a number of Basthi Dawakhanas, dialysis centres, medical colleges, nursing colleges, area hospitals and primary healthcare centres. By taking up programmes like Palle Pragathi and Pattana Pragathi where sanitation is being given a high priority, the authorities are not only improving the living conditions of denizens, but are also reducing the health problems being faced by people.
Haritha Haaram programme which has won accolades across the nation, has improved the air quality and living conditions of people especially those in urban areas. Numerous infrastructure development works are being taken up under different urban and rural areas. Due to the visionary leadership of Chandrashekhar Rao, villages in Telangana are no longer any less developed or progressive than the urban areas. People who got accustomed to their urban comforts and were averse to visit their native villages due to lack of power, water and other facilities, are now eager to enjoy their holidays in rural areas as they have access to even high speed internet services.
None of these achievements would have been possible but for Chandrashekhar Rao’s first-hand knowledge of day-to-day issues faced by people, a hands-on approach to issues, optimum utilisation of resources and a vision for the future. That is where Telangana scores, and how!
Also read:
Telangana making entire nation proud: KCR
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