Governance with a
difference
Vanam Jwala
Narasimha Rao
The Millennium
Post (21-08-2018)
Let me, as CPRO to Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, for exactly
50 months, since 19th of June 2014, present an eye witness yet
concise account of the just completed 50 months tenure in the office of KCR
with his apex team. After successfully spearheading the struggle and achieving
Telangana as the 29th state
of Indian Union, he went on to become its first Chief Minister. Since coming to
power on June 2, 2014, the Chief Minister has focused on Governance with a
difference and has left no stone unturned in defining, designing and delivering
the schemes that the state and its people required.
I remember the day (17th June 2014), just two
days before I officially assumed charge as CPRO to CM, when the CM presided
over an informal marathon meeting lasting for more than eight hours, from
afternoon till late in the evening, a fortnight after KCR was sworn in as
CM. He presented his vision of the
state, emphasizing constantly the words, Telangana needs to be reinvented and
reoriented.
During that meeting CM presented his vision on several
aspects that the state would be facing and the process to deal with them. All
subjects were covered like Telangana budget and the funds flow; sources of
income; resource mobilization; agriculture loan waiver; fee reimbursement; KG
to PG free and compulsory education; irrigation projects as a priority item;
drinking water project; power projects and power supply without cuts; two
bedroom housing for poor; massive employment program; single window industrial
policy; police reforms; brand image of Hyderabad city; massive and schematic
plantation; our Village and our Planning; land purchase scheme for Dalits etc.
among others.
Subsequently and
from time to time, for taking forward his vision, CM held a series of review
meetings, touching every aspect of development and welfare of the state and
people. CM used to say time and again that the present Telangana state had
never existed before in this form and has to be viewed as a new state and
therefore, needs a historical beginning. That is how several Schemes were
meticulously planned and designed by the CM with his personal touch.
CM had been abroad
only twice, once to Singapore and second time to China to attract foreign
investments. On invitation, CM participated in the World Economic Forum’s
Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2015, held in Dalian, China.
The
state during the last 50 months recorded remarkable growth in a very short time
since it achieved separate hood. Today it has become a development and welfare role
model state to the entire country. Every sector that suffered very badly during
the erstwhile united rule have been rejuvenated. The people centric development
designs and plans extended a helping hand to poor, vulnerable and downtrodden.
Welfare measures benefited the have-nots and dis-advantaged immensely. As
envisioned by CM the state has been reinventing and reorienting itself and, in
the process, helping the Nation development.
KCR Government
firmly initiated steps to overcome agrarian crisis that existed at the
formation of state and strengthen agriculture sector and thereby enthuse self
confidence in the farmer. Waiver of Rs 17,000 Crore Agricultural loans
benefitting 35.29 Lakhs farmers, payment of Input Subsidies, waiving of transport
tax on the Agriculture Tractors, increasing the amount of compensation to the members
of the bereaved farmer families who committed suicide to Rs 6 lakhs, procuring
and making available to the farmer the fertilizers and seeds well in advance, stringent
steps against those who supply spurious fertilizers, pesticides and seeds were
some of the measures initiated and implemented by KCR Government.
Telangana
is the one and only state in the country which supplies quality power free of
cost round the clock 24 hours to the farmer from First of January 2018. Those
who cursed that Telangana will plunge into darkness if the state is formed had
to swallow their words. In a short period from now, Telangana will become a
power surplus state.
To make the
farmers aware of the strength of unity, Rythu Samanvaya Samithis (Farmers
Coordination Committees) were formed. These committees help the farmer right
from seeding to obtaining support price for their product at every stage.
Reservations have been introduced in Market Committees enabling individuals
belonging to SC, ST, BC and Women become Chairman of the Market committees.
For
an everlasting permanent solution to the land disputes and for maintaining the
land records with utmost transparency, State Government had done comprehensive
cleansing of land records. The efforts of Government resulted in getting
clarity of rights of land ownership in case of 94% of the lands in the state.
The Government also initiated comprehensive reforms to achieve 100%
transparency in the land registration system for which Dharani website has been
designed.
‘RYTHU
BANDHU’ aiming at investment support to agriculture is being implemented.
Through this scheme every farmer owning a land gets at the rate of Rs. 4000 per
acre per season for both the seasons amounting to Rs.8000. The Government has
distributed cheques worth Rs.5,111 crores for the first crop to 49,49,000 farmers.
It is for the first time in the history of the Country that on such a
large-scale distribution of money to the farmers took place.
The Government started
implementing through the Life Insurance Corporation of India from August 15,
2018 the Rythu Bhima scheme aiming at paying Rs. 5 lakhs insurance amount to
the members of the bereaved farmer’s family within 10 days of the death and
create confidence in the family.
K Chandrashekhar
Rao immediately after the formation of Telangana State focused mainly on
irrigation sector to bring one crore acres under irrigation. The faulty project designs prepared by the
erstwhile rulers have been redesigned as per the suggestions made by experts. The
Kaleshwaram, Palamoor-Rangareddy, Seetharama projects are all being constructed
on fast-track. Several tanks that were destroyed during erstwhile rule have
been revitalized and rejuvenated through Mission Kakatiya.
The Government
has decided to provide financial support to the hereditary professions and
encourage them so that the rural economy is rejuvenated. A programme to
distribute sheep to Golla and Kuruma castes on 75% subsidy is in implementation.
Government started a program to distribute Milch Animals to dairy farmers to
encourage dairy industry in the state with each unit costing Rs 80,000. Government
has also been supplying fish seed and prawn seed to fishermen to encourage fish
farming on a large scale. To change and better the living conditions of
handloom and power loom workers the Telangana government has taken special care
and introduced several schemes.
Schemes for Naayi
Brahmins, Rajakas, Toddy tappers besides establishing MBC corporation are some
more benefits to BCs. Government has also decided to provide financial
assistance for self-employment with 100% subsidy to BCs to undertake any
activity of their choice and interest
delinking with the banks.
The
Government with commitment has been making efforts to help the upper caste poor
aiming at poverty alleviation as a basic objective. Aasara Pensions, Ration
rice, Kalyana Lakshmi etc schemes are made applicable to all the poor of all
upper caste.
As
part of nearly 40 welfare schemes with over Rs. 40,000 crore funds, Government
has been giving Aasara Pensions to the old age people, widows, toddy tappers,
handloom, beedi workers, aids patients, differently abled, old age poor artists,
single women and filaria effected patients. Minimum
life security is provided to all the helpless individuals. At the rate of 6 kilos for the
individual, without any limitation irrespective of the numbers in the family, rice
at Rs.1 a kilo is being given. Food with fine rice is given in schools and
hostels.
The government implements Kalyana
Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak schemes to provide financial assistance of Rs. 1,00116
for the marriage of poor girl child. For foreign Education Rs. 20 lakhs as
overseas scholarships to SC, ST, BC, Minorities as well as those who belong to
economically back ward other classes is given.
For the welfare of SCs and STs the
government has enacted special SC, ST Pragathi Fund Act and has been
implementing effectively. The funds are allotted and spent in the ratio of SC,
STs in the population. The Act provides for spending the funds allotted for SC,
STs exclusively to them and also for transferring the unspent balance of a
particular year to the following year. Distribution of 3 acres of land to the
Dalits is implemented in the Telangana state which is not done anywhere in the
country. The Government has provided bore well, motor, power connection, as
well as investment support for the crop on this land.
For the welfare of minorities and
for their development, 206 residential schools, remuneration to Imams and Mauzams,
new cloths to minorities during Ramzan and Christmas festivals, iftar parties,
Christmas parties, construction of Islamic Centre, IT park etc. have been done.
For the welfare of women schemes
like Kalyan Laxmi, Shaadi-Mubarak, KCR Kits, SHE Teams, Arogya Laxmi, Ammavodi
etc are being implemented. Salaries of Anganwadi workers have been
substantially increased. Salaries and remunerations of Home Guards, IKP,
MNAREGA SERP staff, 108 employees, 104 employees, VROs, VAOs, ANMs, Contract
and outsourcing staff, part-time lecturers, sanitation staff working in GHMC
etc are increased substantially.
Mission Bhagiratha aiming at supply
of purified and treated drinking water to the doorstep each and every family
has been completed with more than 19,000 habitations getting water supply.
Health and medical facilities have been improved in a such a way that people
started gaining confidence in government hospitals than the corporate.
Diagnostic facilities are created across the state. Basthi clinics have been
established in Hyderabad to bring medical facilities nearer to common man. Four
more new medical colleges have been started. Poor pregnant women are covered
under KCR kits scheme which compensates their wage loss.
As part of KG to PG education system
in addition to the existing 296 residential schools, 542 more institutions have
been established. 119 more residential schools one in each assembly segment
exclusively for BCs will come-up from next academic year. Through the largest
green cover Telangana ku Haritha Haram so far 82 crores of saplings were
planted all over the state. As part of reorganization of 31 Districts, 69
Revenue Divisions and 584 Mandals have been made. The number of Gram panchayats
has been increased to 12,751 which includes Girijan Thandas and Lambadi Gudems.
The new Zonal system would take shape shortly with seven zones and two
multizones.
Thanks to the single window
industrial policy 7679 industries with Rs 1,32,000 crores investment providing
employment to 8.37 lakhs have been started out of which 5570 have gone into
production. In IT development, in law and order front, in the case of Highways,
two bedroom houses for poor etc. the
state’s progress card is simply fantastic.
Thus an all-round achievement in all
fronts has been achieved by KCR 50 months in power and truly it is a governance
with a difference.
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