Priority for Welfare and Development pays : Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

 7 Years of KCR Rule….

Priority for Welfare and Development pays

Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

The Pioneer (02-06-2021)

The crux of the Telangana statehood movement is based on the trinity tagline of water for irrigation, funds for development and employment opportunities. KCR as the leader of the separate statehood movement had proclaimed repeatedly that only in separate Telangana State justice could be done to all the sectors. After becoming the CM, KCR has gone ahead with a clear-cut action and planned governance. From June 2, 2014 when the Telangana state was formed to till date, the welfare and development programs implemented despite the currently prevailing severe economic crisis due to corona pandemic and the way the state is marching forward despite several odds is the clear indication of KCR’s perfect and visionary governance for the past seven years.

In the united AP due to non-availability of water for irrigation, farmers have become poor. The poor in the Telangana region under the united AP rulers were not able to get even a square meal a day. Starvation deaths were norm of the day. Such pathetic situation prevailed when the Telangana state was formed in 2014.

CM KCR has firmly resolved that there should not be any starvation deaths in the State and total security to life should be provided to everyone. This is precisely the reason why in Telangana state welfare programs are being implemented at a cost of Rs 40,000 plus Crore per year, which no other government in the country is implementing. These welfare schemes have given security to life to the poor.

The Telangana under AP rule was far removed from the development, and now, Telangana State is role model for other states in several sectors.

Then, there was power crisis and power cuts, nobody knew when the power supply comes.  Farmers used to sleep near their borewells in their fields waiting for the power supply. Now uninterrupted, quality power is supplied 24-hours to farm sector for free. Not only to agriculture but also for every sector uninterrupted power.

Then, irrigation projects in the region remained only on paper and agriculture lands became arid patches. Now all the pending and new irrigation projects are being completed and water is given even to the tail-end lands. Then the rulers often said that agriculture was a wasteful profession. Now agriculture in Telangana State had become a festival to celebrate. Then cultivation was just in few lakhs of acres whereas now it is in more than one crore acres.

Under the united AP, quality education for the poor was like unthinkable dream, whereas now all over the state 995 residential schools are functioning imparting corporate level education to the underprivileged sections for free of cost. Then students in the welfare hostels of the government were served meal cooked with coarse rice often infested with worms, now they are served meal cooked with fine quality of rice.

Then the birth of baby girl was treated like a pain and burden on the family. Now with schemes like Kalyan Laxmi and Shadi Mubarak, marriages are taking place of the girls in the poor family with lot of celebrations.

Retirement age of RTC workers and employees was increased to 61 years from 58. The Home Guards who were given meagre salaries are now given good salaries and now each home guard gets Rs 23,000 salary per month.

The salaries of low rung employees like the ASHA workers, Anganwadi teachers, Workers, Municipal workers, VRAs, VAOs, Contract employees, Outsourcing employees, employees with the MNREG and other such staff are getting more salaries than in other states.

With no administrative reforms taking place under the united AP, people used to travel long distances to reach the district headquarters. Now, the administration and governance reached doorsteps of the people. Then the gram panchayats and municipalities used to beg for funds, now they are getting funds every month and they are all developing. Every village has a plant nursery, dumping yard, cremation and burial ground. Similarly, every village has a tractor with trolley and water tanker.

Then deforestation took place on a large measure and turned the region into a desert. Now, there is substantial improvement in the green cover in the State. Under AP, industries in Telangana region were closed down but now Telangana state had become a favorite destination for several major and medium industries with its pro-industry policies.

The Telangana State is number one in the country in several aspects. It is number one in the welfare programs and power sector. The per capita power consumption in the state is higher than the national average. The state with its innovative Mission Bhagiratha program is supplying pure drinking water to all the households in the state.

Telangana State also stood number one in the maintenance of the government hospitals. NITI Aayog declared that Telangana State was one among the three states in the country in terms of better medical and health services. JLL declared Hyderabad among the best living city in the world. Telangana state is also number one in Asia in terms of having the highest number of CCTV Cameras and controlling the crime rate.

In the irrigation sector too, the state is ranked number one in the country with its innovative projects. One of the manmade miracles, the multi-purpose multilevel lift irrigation project Kaleshwaram was completed in a three-year’s time and made the entire north Telangana district fertile. NITI Aayog also recognized Telangana for reviving and revitalizing the thousands of tanks, ponds, and water bodies under its Mission Kakatiya program.

The state has become a role model for other states in terms of extending financial assistance to farmers at the rate of Rs 10,000 per acre for two crops in year. The state government has launched a massive land records, survey, rectification and updating and gave new passbooks to farmers to put an end to land disputes.

The poor are allotted double bed room houses. For the first time in the country, only in Telangana state hereditary trades and professionals are given massive assistance. Sheep are distributed among the Golla Kurumas communities. Fish culture and Shrimp farming are encouraged at the irrigation project sites, barrages, tanks, ponds and other water bodies thereby helping the Bestha, Mudiraj Communities.

More funds are allocated to the Most Backward Communities. Power subsidies are extended to SC STs and they are given up to 101 units free power. It was extended to hairdressing saloons and laundries. Micro irrigation is given 80 percent subsidy. Through KCR Kits, pregnant woman is given Rs 15,000 financial assistance. The massive eye screening drive Kanti Velugu is conducted all over the state and spectacles are given free of the cost to the needy. In some cases, operations were also done free of cost. This evoked appreciation from all over the country.

It is no exaggeration that under the visionary, practical and dynamic leadership of CM KCR, very soon Telangana state is on the verge of realizing its dream of Golden Telangana achieving success in all the sectors and becoming number one in the country as a role model to look up to in each and every aspect. (with VJM Divakar)