KTR Slams Centre For Injustice To Telangana

Hyderabad: Since Telangana’s inception, the Central Government has been doing injustice to the State when it came to the industrial sector, said Minister KTR. Though Telangana has been performing well in all the sectors, the Center has never supported the State, nor any funds are being allotted to Telangana projects. Instead of supporting a newly formed State, the Center has always ignored development and welfare.

Minister KTR made the above comments at the CII Telangana State Annual Meeting 2020-21 in Hyderabad. “A visionary leader like CM KCR with his futuristic approach has made Telangana a front runner in various sectors, inspiring the other states in the country,” said KTR.

KTR stated that the Telangana Government has given top priority to the Industrial sector after state formation. Within one year, the Telangana Government was able to provide a 24hrs uninterrupted power supply to the industries.

Minister KTR mentioned that revolutionary policies like TS-iPASS succeeded in attracting major investments to the state. Through this policy, 15,000 companies were set up creating about 15 lakh jobs in the region. A total of about Rs. 2,00,000 Cr investment was brought to the State through TS-iPass. Many states have emulated Telangana State’s TS-iPASS, he added.

“In the past six years, the Telangana Government has received recognition from across the world for its innovative and progressive policies. Though many global companies in IT, Pharma, Life Sciences, Aerospace and Defence sectors have invested in Telangana, the Center never encouraged the State,” said KTR. 

Telangana has been among the top states in the Ease of Doing Business ranks consecutively for the past six years. The state has topped the GSDP growth in the Country. Though Telangana has always performed well in all aspects, the center never encouraged the state in any which ways, he said.

Working President KTR said that whenever any union minister comes to the State, they praise the welfare and development of the state but never give funds. The Center has only praised Telangana but never released funds.

KTR said that the Telangana government has always been approaching the Center regarding projects, and funds for the state. Time is flying but no positive response is coming from the central government. I yet again voice our demands for the welfare of the people through this platform, he said at the CII conference.

Details about the injustice meted out to Telangana by BJP led NDA Government

Promises made under the Reorganisation Act

BJP Government failed to fulfill the assurances given to Telangana as per Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014.

Promises made to Telangana such as setting up a steel plant, a railway coach factory, and educational institutions have been completely ignored. The Center has once again demonstrated its opposition to Telangana when it announced that the establishment of the Kazipet Railway Coach Factory, which was mentioned in the latest partition promises, is not even necessary.

Apart from this, the Center is not responding to the requests of Telangana to strengthen the railway network which is vital for industrial development. The construction of 8 railway lines is already pending while the survey of another three lines is also yet to begin. In addition, there is no response from the Center to the proposals for four new railway lines. Telangana has not got anything in the bullet trains and high-speed railway networks that the central government is boasting of.

Despite the Telangana government’s assurance about providing all kinds of assistance, there is no response from the centre on setting up Bayyaram Steel Factory.

ITIR: The BJP led NDA government has also canceled the ITIR for Hyderabad which was sanctioned before the formation of the state. This has stifled the growth of the IT industry, investments, and job creation.

Since the formation of Telangana, the Hyderabad IT industry has continued to grow without Central Government’s assistance. Telangana has doubled its exports, registering a higher growth rate each year than the national average. When the state was formed, Telangana's IT exports were around Rs 57,000 Cr which have now grown to Rs 1,40,000 Cr. Several world-renowned companies are investing in Telangana. Despite such remarkable progress, the Telangana IT industry lacks encouragement from the Center.

In the field of Electronics Manufacturing, though there was an overwhelming response to the two EMCs set up in Hyderabad, the Central government has not yet decided on Telangana’s request of setting up an additional EMC.

With an ambitious goal of taking the country's pharma and life sciences sector to a global level, Telangana, a new state in India, has initiated the Hyderabad Pharma City project, the largest single pharma cluster. However, there is no support from the central government which adopted the ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat,’ slogan. The Center did not respond to Telangana’s repeated requests for fund allocation of Rs 3900 Cr for Pharma City infrastructure.

The Central Government, instead of extending help to Pharma City, introduced a new scheme called Pharma Park Scheme which created unnecessary competition among 19 states and wasted valuable time.

One-third of the world's vaccines are produced in Telangana. It is Hyderabad Pharma and Life Sciences industry that has provided the world with essential hydroxy-chloroquine and remdesivir drugs. Genome Valley in Hyderabad provides Covid vaccines not only for the country but also for the world.

Although ambassadors from all over the world come and recognize the importance of the Genome Valley ... the industry has not yet received any encouragement it needs from the central Government, Though there are life sciences companies in the Genome Valley,  for vaccine testing, they have to go to the Central Drugs Laboratory in Kasauli which is hundreds of kilometers away. The central government does not heed to the requests to set up a testing centre in Hyderabad.

Despite having an excellent aerospace and defense ecosystem in Hyderabad, Telangana has not been allotted any of the Defense Industrial Corridors initiated by the Centre. Bundelkhand in Uttar Pradesh, which has no ecosystem, has been given a defense corridor. This proves that the BJP Government is giving priority to politics over industrial development. Repeated requests to allot the Defense Industrial Corridor to Telangana, which has all the infrastructure, are ignored.

Without the center's help, Telangana has excelled in the Defence and Aerospace sector. Telangana Government requested for setting up of a Defence incubator and Center of Excellence for a further boost. But no response has come from the Center.

The Center had announced a Mega cluster policy under which the Telangana Government requested assistance in developing Kakatiya Mega Textile Park. The Center does not respond.

Warangal Textile Park has been one of the largest textile parks in the country. When asked for special funds for its development, the center never released any funds.

The Center is not responsive to setting up the power loom cluster in Sircilla.

A long-pending demand for setting up of Indian Institute of Handloom in the state has been ignored.

The Center has never responded when asked for setting up of Dry Port in Telangana. In Spite of not having a seaport, Telangana’s export rate is more than the national average. When compared to 2019-20, Telangana in 2020-21 has seen 15.5% growth in exports. Telangana plays a key role in exports, yet the center remained unwilling in setting up a dry port.

National Highways Authority of India announced 23 multimodal logistics parks in the country. But not even one was allocated for Telangana.

The Central Pharmaceutical department has not released even a penny for the  Pharma City bulk drug park and Medical park at Sultanpur.

A leather park is being set up at Station Ghanpur by the Telangana Government, but no funds have been released by the center for the project.

Though Zahirabad NIMZ was allocated, no funds were released for setting up of infrastructure.