Niti Aayog receives Telangana's wish list

Hyderabad: In his meeting with Niti Aayog vice-chair Suman Kumar Bery and member Vijay Kumar Saraswat at the Secretariat on Tuesday, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy presented them with an extensive wish list, traversing key developmental issues, policy initiatives and collaborative strategies to foster the overall progress of Telangana state.

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, who holds the finance and energy portfolios, was also present at the meeting.

The Chief Minister requested Niti Aayog to consider increasing allocations for states by the 16th Finance Commission, and funds for developing infrastructure facilities in the health and education sector. He also sought the release of pending funds of Rs 1,800 crore, with respect to the Backward Districts Development Grant, as per Section 94(2) of AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.

Revanth Reddy sought support for technical assistance in the development of the Musi River, on a par with national and international best practices, such as Sabarmati Riverfront and Namami Gange, through the PPP model. He also sought support for establishing sewage treatment plants (STPs) across the Musi Riverfront.

The Chief Minister emphasised a need for GoI to collaborate in preparing a roadmap to developing Hyderabad as a pollution-free urban growth hub. The meeting highlighted the importance of sharing innovative governance practices and successful models.

Niti Aayog encouraged the state to showcase and adopt practices that have demonstrated success in addressing local challenges. The meeting also recognised the importance of skilling youth, pursuing engineering courses in the state, with a special focus on artificial intelligence, cyber security and data sciences.

The meeting also emphasised harnessing solar energy, for which support was sought from the Centre.

Discussions also focused on the establishment of the State Institution for Transformation (SIT), under the State Support Mission, a Central sector scheme to strengthen the capacities of states.

The meeting underscored the significance of cooperative federalism as a guiding principle for effective governance. Both Niti Aayog and the state government expressed their commitment to working in tandem to address the unique challenges and opportunities facing the state.

The Chief Minister highlighted the state's developmental priorities and key areas that required special attention, on which Niti Aayog officials actively engaged in discussions to understand the specific needs of the state and explore avenues for comprehensive development.