Stellar show by KCR govt

ONE-YEAR COMPLETION OF TRS RULE

Like a true statesman, the CM has a vision for the State that encompasses several decades in the future. He knows where he wants to lead the State and what it will take to get there. His authority derives from his belief in what he says. He does not make emotions soar and burn with empty promises, but instead keeps his word and does what he says. This can be seen in every scheme he has conceived and in every promise he has made

Telangana as the newest and 29th State of India was formed on June 2, 2014. Telangana Rashtra Samithi by securing a majority of seats in the State Assembly formed the government with K Chandrashekar Rao as the first Chief Minister. The government completes one year in office on June 2, 2015.

Telangana is the result of the decades-long struggle of people protesting against discrimination and injustice. The present Telangana State was never before in this form and has to be viewed as a new State. A historical beginning has to be made. This new State has a lot of catching up to do to fulfil the ambitions of its people. Accordingly, Chief Minister Chandrashekar Rao has left nothing to chance in fulfilling his election promises and ensuring the march of the State forward with the ultimate goal of making it ‘Golden Telangana.’

The development and welfare schemes conceived for the past one year are grounded and implemented with commitment. The Chief Minister has been personally reviewing these programmes and ensuring a prompt action wherever necessary. Like an ideal leader, the CM Chandrasekhar Rao is leading his Cabinet by example and thus becoming a role model to his ministerial colleagues. Needless to say, his Cabinet colleagues are adopting his style of functioning in true letter and spirit for the good of people.

Foresight is one of CM’s most important qualities; he is able to recognise problems on the horizon and find solutions good for both the short-term and the long-term. With this foresight, the Chief Minister has conceived projects like Water Grid which envisages supply of drinking water through tap to every household in the State. When he believes something is wrong, he plainly says it is so and does everything in his power to correct it or fight against it. Likewise, when he believes something is right, he is willing to overcome any opposition to it and implement it.

Like a true statesman, the CM has a vision for his State that encompasses several decades in the future. He knows where he wants to lead the State and what it will take to get there. Unlike other run of the mill politicians, Chandrashekar Rao, instead of tailoring his rhetoric to the public mood, speaks to the very best that exists within people, understanding that powerful rhetoric can articulate, bring forth and activate sometimes deeply buried ideals. His authority derives from his belief in what he says.

He does not make emotions soar and burn with empty promises, but instead keeps his word and does what he says. This can be seen in every scheme he has conceived and in every promise he has made. The Chief Minister’s reviews are not just confined to involving a few senior officials and the Cabinet Minister concerned. He has a knack of involving field-level officers. In the process, he has interacted with among others MROs, MDOs, forest range officers, junior engineers etc.

In his direct interaction with these officials at the grassroots level, the Chief Minister has ensured that they have committed themselves to the proper implementation of all programmes, projects and schemes. A variety of development and welfare initiatives has been conceived and grounded, involving every department. Going into details in brief, the Telangana Drinking Water Supply Project envisages coverage of about three crore population in the State, aiming at providing safe, adequate, permanent, sustainable and secured water supply, covering rural, urban and industrial areas.

The Chief Minister with his personal engineering touch initiated design of new irrigation projects. He decided on re-engineering of whole irrigation projects. The government is all set to lay foundation for Nakkalagandi and Palamoor projects. The ‘Mission Kakatiya’ aims at retrieving the lost glory of minor irrigation in the State with community participation for ensuring sustainable water security. Minor irrigation through these tanks will make a provision for usage of 265 tmcft of water. The Chief Minister’s concerted efforts and vision have slowly and steadily positioned the State in a comfortable position on the power front.

In all, by the end of 2018, power generation will reach 24,600 MW. There shall not be any power cuts in Telangana State. Through “Telangana ku Haritaharam” programme in the coming three years, 230 crore seedlings are proposed to be planted in the State. “Haritham, Shivam, Sundaram” should be the motto of the programme. The government, as part of its welfare measures and social safety net strategy, introduced the Aasara pensions. Kalyana Laxmi and Shadi Mubarak are two important schemes benefiting unmarried SC, ST and Minority (including Sikhs and Christians) girls below the poverty line.

For women safety, SHE Teams are introduced in Hyderabad city to begin with. The government decided to bring in a new Industrial Policy which will inspire both international and domestic industry groups, investors and entrepreneurs to choose Telangana as their destination of first choice. The Telangana State Industrial Project Approval and Self-certification System (TS-iPASS) is a “single window without grills” for clearing all investment proposals. It will be formally launched on 12th June. In the front of Information Technology, there is going to be tremendous progress with companies like Amazon and Google deciding to start major operations in Hyderabad.

The Chief Minister envisaged a special growth engine project for the uplift and economic development of the SC community. Through the Land Purchase Scheme, the government plans to allot 3 acres of land to each of the Dalit families who are below the poverty line (BPL) and depend on agriculture as their livelihood. The scheme was formally launched on 15th August, 2014. The government has decided to issue Food Security Cards to all eligible BPL families in the state. The government has taken a conscious and pragmatic decision to supply superfine rice varieties, which are called “Sannabiyyam” (Fine Rice), to hostel students.

The Chief Minister decided that the government land and surplus land under the Urban Land Ceiling Act to an extent up to 125 square yards which are in the possession of poor people should be regularised free of cost. The government decided to build for each poor family a two bedroom house with a hall, kitchen, bathroom and lavatory. It is proposed to build G+1 and G+2 models in urban areas and independent houses in rural areas. On an experimental basis, the city housing programme has been successfully taken up in IDH Colony in Hyderabad.

Towards strengthening primary, secondary and tertiary medicare in the State, the Chief Minister initiated several measures aimed at streamlining the entire hospital system. Development and repair works of roads under the R&B as well as Panchayatiraj Departments has also been taken up on a war footing. An innovative campaign “Swachh Hyderabad” to make Hyderabad a clean and green city, involving various stakeholders, has been taken up by the government at Chief Minister’s initiative.

Tonnes of loads of energy have been pumped into the ‘Swachh Hyderabad’ programme in which the Governor, the Chief Minister, people’s representatives and All India Service officers have taken part. Civic amenities are given a thrust through urban local bodies. As a tribute to the glorious history of the state of Telangana, a classical building to house the Telangana Kalabharathi will be built in Hyderabad. Waiver of crop loans is another election promise that has been fulfilled. An amount of Rs 4,250 crore has been credited to the loan accounts as first installment. An equal amount has been allocated in this year’s budget. An estimated 36.33 lakh farmers are benefited under the scheme.

Our Village-Our Plan, Sanction and payment of Input Subsidy, Telangana Increment to Government Employees, Pay hike to Government and RTC employees, Transformation of Girijan Tandas into Gram Panchayats, Abolition of Road Taxes on Autos and Tractors, Loan waiver to Powerloom workers, Planning for a Pharma City and Textile Park, Salary hike for Anganwadi workers, provision for Official Status to Telangana Festivals, welfare fund for advocates and journalists, development scheme for Yadagirigutta temple, honoring poets like late Kaloji and Dasarathi, honoring Telangana leaders like P V Narasimha Rao, Konda Laxman Bapuji, Kaka Venkataswamy, Professor Jayashankar and Easwaribai, celebrating Komaram Bhim Jayanthi, Health University in Warangal, formation of Telangana Samskruta Sarathi, cleaning of Hussainsagar in Hyderabad city, signal-free traffic system in Hyderabad, etc. are a few more initiatives of the Telangana government.

The Chief Minister met a number of individuals representing industrial and financial institutions from India and abroad, which would pave way for the all-round development of State. They include among others Indian business tycoon Anil Ambani, Japanese Consulate General Masanori Nakano, NTPC Chairman and Managing Director Dr Arup Roy Choudhury, IKEA CEO Juvenico Maeztu, Piramal Group Chairman Ajay Piramal, Azeem Premji of WIPRO, TATA Group Chairman Cyrus Mistry, Adani group Chairman Goutham Adani, Hinduja Group of Companies (India) Chairman Ashok P Hinduja, Microsoft India Chief Bhaskar Pramanik, Indian industrialist and philanthropist and chairman of the CK Birla Group, CK Birla, REC Chairman and Managing Director Rajeev Sharma, Samsung Data Systems India General Manager Dongsun Choi, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, BHEL Chairman and Managing Director B P Rao, Fairfax Chairman and CEO Prem Watsa, Jindal Steel Power CEO and Co-Director Neeraj Kumar, NABARD Chairman Harsh Kumar Bhanwala, MRF CMD KM Mammen, Shapurji Pollonji Company Chairman Shapur P Mistry, Walmart CEO David Cheesewright and Hitachi Solutions India CEO and Managing Director Ananthanarayanan.

Promises made in the TRS election manifesto have been converted into action-oriented schemes and programmes and are being implemented one after another by the government. Each and every scheme has been thoroughly discussed with the Minister and the officials concerned several times and a roadmap has been prepared in consultation with them. In some cases, consensus was arrived at by holding meetings with opposition party leaders. The Chief Minister constantly reviews the progress of implementation of all these schemes. Each one of these schemes and programs is a step in the march of the State towards achieving ‘Golden Telangana.’

The Chief Minister has embarked upon giving a new definition to the word, ‘Development.’ For him, development does not merely mean just laying roads, constructing bridges and buildings and other such infrastructural activity. Development for the Telangana State Chief Minister, Chandrashekar Rao, is bringing about an overall change in the living standards of the people in general, and in those of the oppressed and depressed classes in particular. (The writer is the Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) in the Chief Minister’s Office, Telangana)

By Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao