Governor ESL Narasimhan outlines Telangana’s gains

Hyderabad: It seems the Telangana government does not consider Andhra Pradesh as a neighbouring state, going by the Governor’s address to the Legislature on Saturday.

The reason. AP was missing from the list of neighbouring states when Mr Narasimhan said that his government is taking steps to promote co-operation with neighbouring states. His speech avoided AP’s name again, when he said, “Although there are certain unresolved issues post bifurcation, particularly in the allocation of water and electricity, my government is making all efforts to resolve them amicably through dialogue.”

Mr Narasimhan concluded his address in just 10 minutes amid uproar in the House. He outlined the achievements of Telangana. He assured that every resident of Telangana would be treated equally.

The Governor said considerable progress has been made on all fronts despite the fact that the new state faced several challenges. He said the state’s GSDP growth forecast for fiscal 2014-15 is estimated at 5.3 per cent against 4.8 per cent in 2013-14 at constant 2004-05 prices. The per capita income at current prices during 2014-15 is expected to be Rs 1,03,889 compared to Rs 95,361 in 2013-14.

“The government is taking initiatives to transform Hyderabad into a global hub. Considering the strategic location of Hyderabad its potential will soon be realised,” he said.

"The government is also proposing a Rs 50,000 crore fund for the comprehensive development of SCs in the next five years. For the welfare of STs, the government would strive to provide 12 per cent reservation in education and employment," he said.

The government is determined to provide Rs 25,000 crore for the development of BCs in the next five years. For minorities, Rs 1,000 crore will be allotted each year.

On the crucial power sector front, government proposed to add 6,000 MW in next three years to make the state self-sufficient.

Mr Narasimhan said the government launched the Industrial Policy Framework-2014 with a vision to promote "research in innovation, innovation to industry and industry to prosperity."