Corruption cause of poverty

Particularly, political graft is its root cause: Governor Narsimhan

Hyderabad: Promising a transparent and corruption free administration, Governor ESL Narsimhan said the Telangana government had come up with a transparent strategy to augment welfare of the poor and to usher in balanced development in all spheres of economy.

Addressing the gathering after unfurling the national flag at the first Republic Day function in the 29th State at Parade Grounds Narasimhan said, "The government is of the view that corruption in the public domain, particularly political corruption, is the root cause of poverty and backwardness."

Narsimhan said the government had strengthened governance by leveraging technology particularly in the spheres of vigilance, security and in bringing about public awareness on critical issues impinging on citizen welfare. The state's economic growth, he said had slumped to 4.5 per cent in 2012-13 owing to marked deceleration in the growth of industrial sector but the government, he said was committed to reverse this trend with massive infusion of investments into agriculture, industry and infrastructure sectors in order to provide food security, employment avenues and trigger revenue buoyancy. Narasimhan said the government has rightly prioritised social security and infrastructure as the basis of a balanced and sustainable development model.

Referring to the achievements and goals of Telangana government, he said the focus is on to transform Hyderabad into a global city, Haritha Haaram, Mission Kakatiya, Drinking Water Grid, welfare of SC, ST and minorities, safety of women, Aasara pensions, and Housing among others are on top of the Government’s agenda, he said.

Speaking about the irrigation sector, the Governor said that government had accorded top priority for completion of various lift irrigation projects in Mahabubnagar district. For meeting the drinking water needs of Gajwel Assembly, he said government is planning to construct Pamulaparthy and Tadkapally reservoirs with storarge capacity of 30 and 21 TMC each. He further said that GENCO has enhanced its performance by generating 13 percent more power this season.

Another 2800 MW of power will be added to the grid during 2015. Narasimhan talked about the National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) project in Medak district with a potential to attract investments of over Rs 40,000 crore and to provide direct employment to over 3 lakh and indirect employment to over 4.5 lakh. He said the government was planning to strengthen Outer Ring Road (ORR) in and around Hyderabad to meet the demand for the next 50 years.

Further, Ring Roads will also be designed for major towns. Also, the government is allotting 12,000 MT of superfine rice per month (from January 1) to hostels in ten districts to provide quality and nutritious food to students under mid-day meals scheme, Narasimhan said.