HYDERABAD: IT minister K.T.Rama Rao charged the BJP-led government at the Centre with penalising Telangana, despite being a performing state, by not sanctioning funds and projects to the state.
Speaking at the annual Confederation of Indian Industry event here on Tuesday, Rama Rao said political affiliations should not define support from the Centre. He said the Centre should empower and incentivise performing states like Telangana.
He urged the captains of the industry to take this issue to the notice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Rama Rao urged the industry to vote the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) back to power in Telangana so that it can continue its good work done over the last eight years.
"Since I’m addressing the last CII annual meeting before the general elections, let me ask you to vote me (BRS) back to power so that we can come back as a government," he appealed. When the industry leaders responded with applause, Rama Rao remarked, "I’m guessing by the kind of applause that I will come back. I’m hopeful."
He said that India would have achieved the targeted $5 trillion economy by 2022 if all states had grown at the same pace as Telangana, highlighting the 150 per cent growth in per capita income and GSDP in the last eight years.
Rama Rao said the Hyderabad Pharma City would be the largest pharma manufacturing cluster in the world but did not receive support from the Centre.
"The Centre also denied a bulk drugs manufacturing cluster, other manufacturing clusters, industrial corridors. Even though special industrial incentive was promised to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in the AP Reorganisation Act, nothing has been given to the Telugu states. What is the sanctity of the Act passed in Parliament," he asked.
He said each state was diverse and that diversity should be respected. "Who are we to tell people what to eat, what to wear,” he said.
Rama Rao said the Centre's initiatives like ‘Make in India’ were good, but they
have not progressed much beyond slogans. He asked why many still felt that importing from China works out cheaper rather than making locally despite the import costs, distance and other factors.
