KTR: Telangana grows despite Centre fund cut

Khammam: Information technology minister K.T. Rama Rao said here on Friday that the state was being developed even though the Centre was not extending much cooperation.

Rama Rao, inaugurating various projects in Khammam, said that many people had their doubts about new investments coming to Telangana state. “But they are coming. The problem is, the Centre is taking money from Telangana in the form of taxes and it is not helping the state when it came to the crunch,” he said.

“The assurances given by the Centre during AP Reorganisation Act are not being implemented. There is no response to the proposed ITIR (Information Technology Investment Region) project in Telangana and the plea for a railway coach factory in Kazipet,'' he said.

“Telangana is getting investments due to the efforts of the TRS government and the growth rate of Telangana is higher than India's average rate of growth. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao is implementing many policies to attract investments to the state,” he said.

“Software exports were of Rs 56,000 crore at the time of the Telangana formation in 2016, and it is of Rs 1.4 lakh crore at present. The coming up of the second IT Hub in Khammam is the best example of new investments,” Rama Rao said.

He said transport minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar showed immense interest in bringing the IT Hub in Khammam and sanctioned Rs 35 crore for the second phase. Now, IT projects are spreading to Tier II towns like Warangal, Siddipet, Khammam and Nizamabad, he said.

Pertaining to the new RTC bus stand, the transport minister said a new bus stand was built over seven acres in place of the two-acre of the old bus stand. The government-sanctioned Rs 28 crore for the project despite the Covid-19 situation.

He said about 350 candidates got jobs in the first phase of the IT Hub and another 57 will get jobs in the second phase.