A transformative year for Telangana

The triumphant journey of the young state of Telangana is completing its first full calendar year on Thursday. The year 2015 has been an eventful one, notwithstanding certain teething problems the State faced. The TRS government launched many initiatives and welfare programmes, and tried to keep Telangana sentiment alive.

Despite a severe drought and a spate of farmer suicides, the government has managed to tide over electricity shortage and supplied continuous power to industries, unlike last year. The government also embarked on a massive programme to add 25,000 MW power with an investment of Rs 90,000 crore in four years. Equally creditable is launch of ambitious irrigation projects including Rs 35,000 crore Palamuru lift irrigation project.

A Flagship project ‘Mission Kakatiya’ is aimed at resorting 46,000 tanks across the State. ‘Mission Bhaghiratha’ is another mega project to provide safe and sustainable drinking water supply to every household. Another flagship programme of the government is two bed room housing to poor people. Around 60,000 houses with a plinth area of 560 sq.ft each are being taken up.

Among welfare schemes is also annual allocation of Rs 28,000 for various welfare schemes like social security pension. It also earmarked over Rs1,000 crore toward celebration of cultural activities like Bathukamma and Bonalu as a State festivals and developing Yadadri temple on the lines of Tirumala with Rs100 crore each year.

The political stability and focus of the government helped Hyderabad bounce back as an investment destination, as see in major plans unveiled by global IT giants; it is also emerging as an aviation and defence hub.

However, finances remain an issue as the central government is not forthcoming on the state's plea for additional assistance under Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) to raise the limit from 3 per cent to 3.5 per cent of GSDP. In the first full calendar year for the new State, there have been several flagship programmes from the TRS government

As a result of the sentiment, it has won the by-election seat in Warangal Lok Sabha and successfully managed to create an atmosphere of oneness of Telangana and virtually decimated the entire opposition. Nevertheless, in certain cases the government could not either complete some programmes successfully or took a complete U-turn on. Haritha Haram, which was launched amid much fanfare, shifting of the Secretariat, draining of Hussainsagar etc could not be pursued to the logical end.

In the case of the Metro Rail, the TRS did not keep its promise to traders and businessmen in Sultan Bazaar and stuck to the original plan of laying the Metro through the area, razing some historical structures in the process. Some other plans like building skyscrapers on the banks of Hussainsagar, taking over vacant lands of Osmania and Central universities also seem to have failed to take off.

The year also witnessed a huge row over the cash-for-vote scam in which a TDP legislator was caught red-handed while offering Rs 50 lakh to an independent member of the legislative council to vote for the TDP candidate in the council elections. None other than AP Chief Minister and TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu’s role is alleged in it. However, the case is moving at a snail’s pace, giving credence to rumours of rapprochement and revival of bonhomie between the two CMs, of late.