Telangana leads way in unity, development: KCR on Nat'l Integration Day
HYDERABAD: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Sunday, on the occasion of National Integration Day, stressed the need for unity to strengthen the nation and hailed Telangana as a model state for the nation in terms of development over the past nine years.
Addressing a gathering after hoisting the National Flag at Public Gardens, he said that September 17 was a special date in the history of Telangana. “After Independence, the government took up the process of merging the territories under the rule of the kings outside the British administration into the Indian Union. As a part of that, Hyderabad also became an integral part of India on September 17, 1948,” he said.
Stating that developmental works in Telangana state served the cause of unity, he said the state has achieved success in agriculture, industries, IT, irrigation, drinking water, social welfare schemes and allied sectors.
“Telangana stood top in terms of development activities. Palamuru district in the united state of Andhra Pradesh had a tragic past. The Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme is a history of struggle. In 1956, Palamuru district suffered the most from the formation of Andhra Pradesh state. If the Hyderabad state had proceeded as per the recommendations of the Fazal Ali Commission, seven lakh acres would have been irrigated through the Upper Krishna and Tungabhadra canals. We lost this opportunity due to the formation of Andhra Pradesh. The people of Palamuru had to migrate for survival. Following the PRLIS project, cultivation activity will take place on lakhs of acres in Palamuru and other districts,” the Chief Minister said.
Chandrashekar Rao said that the Kaleshwaram project, built on the Godavari River, will cater to the rest of the state and facilitate irrigation of 45 lakh acres. The works of Seethammasagar, which is being constructed with a capacity of 36 TMC in Khammam district, are progressing at a fast pace, he said.
The Chief Minister said that national integration was a matter of political, economic, social, cultural and psychological spheres. Looking at the problems facing national integration from a broader perspective, it is clear that the most important of them are economic problems, Rao said.
“It is unfortunate that even after 76 years of Independence, economic backwardness, poverty, unemployment and social discrimination are still plaguing our country. Besides eradicating these ills, the Telangana government knows the needs and aspirations of the people. That is why along with the rapid development of the state, the Telangana government is taking a step forward to distribute increased wealth to the needy,” Chandrashekar Rao said.
The Chief Minister said that the poverty in the state decreased and the per capita income has increased. “The poverty rate in Telangana state, which was 13.18 per cent in 2015-18, has come down to 5.88 per cent in 2019-21. On the other hand, Telangana has been ranked number one in the country in terms of per capita income. What Telangana practices, the country follows; this is true. Other state governments follow our state schemes and the people there want the good governance that is going on in Telangana to go on in their own states,” Chandrashekhar Rao said.
