Governor lists out TRS Government plans for Telangana

Hyderabad, June 11 : Governor ESL Narasimhan has stressed upon eradication of political corruption in Telangana State.

Addressing the joint session of Telangana Legislative Assembly and Council here on Wednesday, the Governor said that a transparent strategy would be implemented to eliminate grafts at all levels. “My government believes that graft, particularly political corruption, is the bane of our polity and economy. Unless it is eradicated, the fruits of progress cannot be enjoyed by one and all. Hence, my government is committed to root out political corruption at all levels,” he said.

The Governor-began his 22-page speech by paying tributes to the martyrs of Telangana and praised those who participated in the statehood movement. “They loved their Telangana so much that they didn’t bother about their career, studies and even sentiments of their parents. For them the driving force was only a belief that crores of fellow Telanganites would have a bright future with their ‘little sacrifice’ of career and even lives,” he said. He announced Rs 10 lakh as monetary assistance to each of the bereaved families. “Government job would be provided to one eligible person in each such family. Cultivable land would be provided in case the family is involved in farming, apart from housing, to the needy, along with free education and health care to their family,” he said.

The Governor said that special emphasis would be laid on welfare of SCs, STs, BCs, minorities and the poor among other sections of the society by spending Rs one lakh crore in the next five years. He said that the government would allocate Rs 50,000 crore for the welfare of SCs and Rs 25,000 crore for STs during the next five years. He also reiterated the promises of giving 12% reservation to Scheduled Tribes in education and government jobs besides conferring ST status to Kaithi Lambadas and Valmiki-Boyas.

Narasimhan said that up to 12% reservation would be given to minorities in Telangana and Rs 1,000 crore would be allocated for their welfare. He said appropriate steps would be taken for preservance of Urdu language.

The Governor said that Rs 1500 pension would be given to physically handicapped and Rs 1,000 to the aged. The destitute women would get a monthly pension of Rs 1,000 and Beedi workers facing financial distress would also be paid an allowance of Rs 1,000 per month. He reiterated the promise of giving dignified housing for the poor with each unit having two bedrooms, a hall and a kitchen with separate bath and toilet facilities.

Narasimhan asid that the government was committed to provide compulsory and free education from KG to PG with CBSE syllabus in English medium to all needy students. He also announce a welfare fund for journalists with a corpus fund of Rs 10 crore. Similarly, a welfare fund with a corpus fund of Rs 100 crore would be set up for the welfare of lawyers due to their active role in Telangana movement.

The auto-rickshaws plying in Telangana will be exempted from tax. Accident insurance will also be extended to them as well as workers in construction sector.

“The government will extend a special Telangana increment to all the government employees, along with health cards to them,” the Governor said. He also said that the Telangana would have to make full use of the water resources and bring lakhs of acres of parched land under cultivation, covering one lakh acre in each and every Assembly constituencies, which is dependent on agriculture. Therefore, the government will focus on expeditious completion of all pending irrigation projects. “The government will persuade the Central Government to accord national project status to Pranahita-Chevella project,” he said.

Narasimhan admitted that the Telangana State is facing power shortage. Thermal power installed capacity is 2,283 MW and hydel power installed capacity is 2,157 MW. It is planned to set up 4,000 MW power plant by NTPC as stipulated in the AP Reorganisation Act. “Requisite land and water will be provided by the State Government. In addition through private sector, we plan to generate 6,000 MW through GENCO,” he said.

The Governor said that Telangana would formulate the best industrial policy and a model system of single window clearance will be put in place. A ‘Special Chasing Cell’ will be attached to the Chief Minister’s office to give speedy clearances to the upcoming projects with zero corruption and no harassment to potential investors.

Narasimhan said that Hyderabad would be transformed into a world-class city with a distinct brand image. Besides improving the basic amenities, the city would be made slum-free through planned sattelite townships. Stating that the Law and Order would be given top priority, the Governor said that Hyderabad would be made a safe zone and an attractive investment destination. “There will be constant surveillance with a network of CC cameras and other advanced gadgets covering entire urban agglomeration on the lines of London and New York. Any offence detrimental to the interests of the State, would be dealt with an iron-hand,” he said.

The Governor also announced that a State Advisory Council would be constituted by involving intellectuals, media representatives, voluntary organisations, social activists, various professionals and others. INN