KCR plans to change the structure of Rural Economy through four revolutions: Milk, Aqua, Farming and Meat

Hyderabad: The Telangana government, which has so far been focussing more on urban development, now seems to be changing its track during the corona era by strengthening all rural districts in the state and convert them into growth engines and revenue-generating centres on the lines of municipalities and municipal corporations.

The government has finalised plans to take up four revolutions – White (milk), Blue (aqua), Green (farming) and Pink (meat) -- aiming at giving a big boost to the rural economy. Required steps have already been taken to promote aqua industry in a big way by supplying fish-lings free of cost in the rural Telangana. The distribution of sheep to the beneficiaries is in progress to make Telangana as one of the largest fish and meat exporting states in the country. The recent completion of one of the largest lift irrigation projects, Kaleshwaram, has come as a boon to promote aqua industry.

"Government has prepared a draft plan to tap the potential of the aqua industry along the Kaleshwaram lift scheme under which several major reservoirs like Mallanna Sagar, Kondapochamma Sagar and Ranganaik Sagar and 15 other medium reservoirs were constructed.

The newly-constructed water reservoirs will become a hub of aqua industry in the state. The canals constructed all along the lift scheme on more than 200-km stretch will also be the centres for aqua growth. Like in Andhra Pradesh, shrimp farming will also be encouraged with the available abundant water resources," a senior official said.

The establishment of meat processing units in the identified districts, mainly old Rangareddy, Medak, Adilabad, Nizamabad and Karimnagar, is already on the cards. The introduction of regulated farming will indirectly help promote sheep farming by meeting the required fodder to the livestock. The viability of indoor farming of sheep and lambs is under study by the Animal Husbandry department.

The government is already extending assistance to the cooperative societies like NARMUL (Nalgonda, Rangareddy Milk Producers Mutually Aided Cooperative Society) and Mulkanoor Women's Mutually Aided Milk Producers Cooperative Society. Some more cooperative societies will be constituted to promote milk production on a largescale and achieve surplus status soon. Emulating the famous milk brand Amul from Gujarat, efforts are being made to make Telangana's Vijaya milk brand as one of the popular producers in the country. The promotion of horticulture and variety crops to meet the growing demand under the regulated farming are part of the green revolution in Telangana, officials said, adding that Industry Minister KT Rama Rao is holding meetings with the officials concerned for the effective enforcement of the four revolutions with an objective to make rural Telangana a big growth centre in the future.