TRS chief vows to achieve 'golden Telangana'

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday vowed to turn the newly-created Telangana into a golden state by implementing more welfare and development schemes in four years.

Addressing the plenary of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) here, he said the welfare of all weaker sections, who constitute an overwhelming majority of the state, was the objective of his government.

Rao reiterated that TRS will not seek votes in the next elections if it failed it supply drinking water to every house. He also promised to complete all pending irrigation projects in four years.

Assured the working class that the government will stand by them, he also promised all help to farmers, whose crops were damaged due to unseasonal rains.

At the plenary, the first after TRS came to power in the newly created state in June last year, Rao highlighted the achievements of his government, especially its success in overcoming electricity shortage, ongoing programmes like Mission Kakatiya to revive lakes, Water Grid to supply water to every household, social security pensions for different sections of people and waiver of farm loans.

Rao, who was re-elected unopposed as TRS chief for the eighth consecutive term, said Telangana state became a reality because of the efforts and sacrifices made by the party workers.

He said the workers suffered humiliation and the blows of police 'lathis' during the movement for separate state.

Rao, who floated TRS in 2001 to intensify the Telangana movement, addressed over 35,000 delegates who had come from 10 districts of the state. This was the biggest gathering of the party since it formed first government in the new state.

The TRS chief said it was the responsibility of every party worker to ensure that all schemes launched by the government are implemented properly.

He said the party was implementing all its poll promises including land distribution among landless Dalits, pensions to widows, old-aged people, handicapped, beedi workers and schemes to provide financial assistance of Rs.51,000 each for the marriage of poor Muslim and Dalit girls.

Rao said within few months after coming to power, TRS has overcome the electricity shortage. "There are no more power cuts in the state," he declared.

The chief minister said the government was taking steps to produce 24,000 Megawatt power in two-and-half years.

The government increased the salaries of government employees though this put an additional burden of Rs.6,000 crore on state exchequer. He assured unemployed youth that one lakh vacancies in the government will be filled in two years.

The TRS chief told the plenary that farm loans to the tune of Rs.17,000 crore were waived.

The day-long plenary passed 12 resolutions on various issues, hailing various development and welfare schemes launched by the government.

A resolution urged the central government to fulfil all promises made to Telangana at the time of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

Through another resolution, the party vowed to develop Hyderabad as a world-class city. The chief minister said though the successive governments claimed to have developed the city, many areas lacked basic civic amenities.

The chief minister said the state would soon implement the new industrial policy, under which investors will get all approvals and clearances in 15 days.