Freebies necessary for welfare of poor: KTR

HYDERABAD: IT and industries minister K.T. Rama Rao released competitive exams material prepared by the Dr B.R. Ambedkar Open University on the campus premises on Saturday.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister said freebies were needed to
distribute among the poor and people under Below Poverty Line (BPL) for
their daily expenses and came down heavily on the BJP for its move to stop
welfare schemes terming them freebies.

Rama Rao indirectly blamed the BJP's ideology for creating confusion among
people on the name of God. “Whose God is the best? In diverting the people's
attention, some political parties chose religious issues such as halal,
hijab and Munawar Farooqui issues for vote bank politics. We will not opt
for such things," Rama Rao said.

The Minister reiterated that freebies would help the poor and people Below
Poverty Line to lead their livelihood. “If we offer pension schemes for old
age people and differently-abled, these freebies will not come under
political culture," the IT minister said.

In his address, Rama Rao highlighted water, funds, and employment in the
state. "When the government was formed in 2014, Telangana was in a surplus
state. Even today, the state is in surplus by taking up a number of
development works. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has taken up a number of projects in irrigation and is providing water for cultivation and
drinking to every household in the state," the minister said. 

Alleging that the NDA-led BJP government in the Centre had damaged the
financial system in the country by introducing reforms such as
demonetisation, Rama Rao said the Telangana state's Gross State Domestic
Product (GSDP) had gone up to Rs 11.55 lakh crore from Rs 5.6 lakh crore during TRS regime.

“The TRS government in the state has provided 2.22 lakh jobs in eight years
in different government wings in the state. We also encourage corporate
companies to set up their activities in the state to generate employment and
revenue,” he said.