Telangana’s department of municipal administration and urban development on Tuesday launched a programme to rejuvenate and develop 50 water bodies in and around Hyderabad.

Minister for municipal administration and urban development K.T. Rama Rao inaugurated the ‘Lakes Development Programme’ at Khajaguda Lake.

Of the 50 lakes, 25 are in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits and the remaining 25 in Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) limits.

Minister KTR handed over MoU certificates to real estate development companies which have adopted lakes for development. With a call to action, he urged them to carry out the development process to world-class standards.

He said that the periphery of the lakes will have walking tracks, landscaping, open gyms, benches, toilets, lights for evening walks, play area for children, gazebos, amphitheater and other facilities.

KTR said that Durgam Cheruvu turned into a huge tourist attraction after the lake was developed, and added that there would be more such head turners.

He said that the idea of developing the lakes was conceived when the state government wanted to create spaces for senior citizens to take walks, for people to come with their children and other family members and spend time in leisure.

The minister spoke about the rapid growth in Hyderabad in the past eight years in IT, life sciences and other sectors and the world class infrastructure created here. “Hyderabadis are owning up, drawing pride from development on all fronts. We have just begun our journey. There are many plans,” said minister KTR.

Giving a sneak peek into a few of the plans for Hyderabad, the Minister said that in future, Hyderabad will have at least 250 kms of Metro line in and around the city and all the buses in Hyderabad will be electric.

Stating that no other city in India has the future and potential that Hyderabad has, KTR added that plans are afoot for the expansion of medical devices park, another world class film city, an international-standard sports city, and an academic city.

Telangana Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister K.T. Rama Rao on Tuesday took strong objection to the decision of the BJP-led government at the Centre to reject the proposal for second phase of Hyderabad Metro, calling it “blatant discrimination”.

Rama Rao wrote a letter to Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri to reconsider the Centre’s decision.A

Reacting to media reports that the Centre declined to approve the extension of Metro from Lakdikapul to BHEL and Nagole to LB Nagar on the grounds of feasibility, the minister said that it was strange that the Centre which had sanctioned Metro projects to many cities with less traffic had felt that Hyderabad does not qualify for a Metro Rail project.

Responding to the Telangana government’s letter to extend financial assistance to the Hyderabad Metro phase-II project, the Union ministry said: “The PHPDT (Peak Hour Peak Direction Traffic) and ridership is very less and does not justify Metro Rail project at this juncture.”

Not mincing any words, KTR, as the minister is popularly known, said that it was nothing but blatant discrimination against Telangana.

“If the traffic of Hyderabad’s high density corridors does not qualify for a Metro Rail project, I wonder how a number of small cities of UP like Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur, Agra, Prayagraj, Meerut and cities located in some of their favoured states get qualified. This is nothing but pure discrimination and step-motherly treatment to Hyderabad and Telangana,” he said.

The minister pointed out that his multiple attempts to meet Puri to explain the importance of Hyderabad Metro Phase II went in vain. “Given your professional background, I had hoped that you would ensure fair and objective treatment to our infrastructure development proposals without any bias or prejudice,” the minister wrote in his letter to Puri.

KTR stated that the state government was more than willing to clarify any doubts the Centre has on the project and requested an appointment with the Union Minister. “Nevertheless, I would once again urge you to get the Hyderabad Metro Rail Phase-II project proposal examined dispassionately on the merits of DPR and have it approved at an early date,” he added.

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao on Wednesday hinted at strong action against those making derogatory comments against Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

Taking to Twitter, the state Minister said: “In BJP ruled Karnataka 14 days jail for an aoffensive’ tweet In Telangana, we’ve been tolerating direct & horrible insults to our CM, Ministers and Legislators may be we need to give them back in same coin, what say people?”

The tweet was in reference to the arrest of Kannada actor Chetan for posting an “offensive” tweet.

The tweet by Rama Rao, popularly known as KTR, came hours after the arrest of YouTuber Chintapandu Naveen Kumar alias Teenmaar Mallanna by the police for alleged derogatory comments against the Chief Minister and his family members.

Mallanna was picked up from the office of his channel Q News office in Peerzadiguda on the outskirts of Hyderabad late on Tuesday night.

BRS supporters had lodged police complaints against him for his alleged derogatory comments against the Chief Minister, his son KTR and daughter and MLC K. Kavitha on his YouTube channel.

The Government of Telangana will not spare the two suspended employees of Telangana State Public Service (TSPSC) and those behind them in thee question paper leak case, state minister K.T. Rama Rao said on Saturday.

Stating that one of the accused is an active worker of the BJP, he once again requested the Director General of Police (DGP) to investigate if there was any conspiracy to defame the government and provoke youth.

KTR addressed a news conference after Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao reviewed the situation created by the leakage of question paper of an examination conducted by TSPSC for recruitment of assistant engineers in various government departments.

The case has rocked the Commission, which cancelled four examinations, including Group-I examination conducted during the last few months and decided to re-conduct the same.

The question paper leak also triggered a political row with the opposition parties demanding judicial probe or inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and resignation of minister KTR and even the chief minister.

Rejecting the demand by the opposition parties for his resignation, KTR questioned them in what way he was concerned with the case. He reminded the opposition parties that TSPSC is a constitutional body and the state government has no role in its day-to-day functioning.

“I am minister for information technology but does that mean I am responsible for every computer in the state,” he asked.

The accused employees of TSPSC had committed theft of question papers from a computer in a confidential section of the Commission and shared the same with the other accused for Rs 10 lakh.

KTR also appealed to the opposition parties not to play with the lives of the youth by instigating them against the government for their narrow political interests. “The boys are sensitive and they are upset as they have to write the exams again. I request the opposition not to provoke them,” he said.

The minister also appealed to the youth to understand the efforts being made by the government to allay any doubts by reconducting the examinations.

Stating that TSPSC had been working in a transparent manner during the last nine years due to various measures taken by the government, he said unfortunately a mistake of two individuals has bad name to the entire institution.

“It’s not the failure of the system or institution. It’s because of the mistake of two individuals that lakhs of youth are facing difficulties. We are working on how to rectify and ensure that such a thing does not happen in the future. We are consulting experts and will bring whatever reforms required,” he said.

He assured the youth that the government will not spare Praveen Kumar and Rajasekhar Reddy or whoever may be behind them. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) is conducting an impartial probe and stringent action will be taken against those found involved, he said.

The minister alleged that Rajasekhar Reddy was an active worker of the BJP and had been appealing to people to support the BJP. He displayed photographs of the contract employee of TSPSC with the BJP leaders.

“If such a person is caught in the case, it raises many doubts. The police will investigate if there is a conspiracy behind this. They will find out if there is a criminal motive to defame the government and provoke youth. Who is behind this, be it from the BJP, Congress or BRS there is no question of sparing them,” he said.

KTR claimed that when TSPSC was issuing notifications for recruitments in the government departments, BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar was calling it a conspiracy. The BJP leader had alleged that the government was keeping youth busy with exams thus not allowing them to come to the BJP.

KTR announced that the government has decided to provide free coaching material to candidates preparing for re-examinations.

He said the coaching material for all four exams will be available online for free. Study circles for SCs, STs, BCs, minorities and the poor among upper castes will be strengthened across the state. The reading rooms in all districts will remain open round-the-clock to enable students to prepare for exams. They will be provided free study material and food.

The government of Telangana is on a mission to make the state a women entrepreneurs’ hub, Industries Minister K.T. Rama Rao said on Wednesday.

Rao said the upcoming launch of a single window mechanism and targeted interventions will provide a professional identity for women entrepreneurs and enable them to scale their businesses, creating more employment opportunities in Tier 2 and 3 cities.

The minister was speaking at an event organised to mark the fifth anniversary of ‘WE HUB’, India’s first and only state-led incubator.

He said WE HUB has played a significant role in engaging with over 35,000 women entrepreneurs across India.

The achievements of women entrepreneurs were recognised and they were honoured for their contributions at the event organised on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

According to the organisers, WE HUB has been a beacon of hope for women entrepreneurs in India over the past five years, providing them with the resources and support they need to succeed in the business world.

A video presentation was made showcasing the projects, initiatives and programmes that have helped women entrepreneurs in their entrepreneurial journey. Five successful women entrepreneurs shared their inspiring stories of overcoming challenges and achieving success in their respective fields at the event.

Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary, Information Technology (IT), emphasised the importance of women’s participation in entrepreneurship and applauded WE HUB’s role in promoting women entrepreneurs.

Over the past five years, WE HUB has incubated 3,194 startups and SMEs founded by women. It has successfully engaged with over 5,000 women entrepreneurs, 1,247 students, 986 social impact entrepreneurs and 609 urban entrepreneurs. The incubator has been actively working towards enabling women-led startups across sectors.

“At WE HUB, we believe that women entrepreneurs are a force to be recognised. Our mission is to provide them with the resources and support they need to succeed, regardless of their background or social circumstances. Through our work, we have seen first-hand the incredible impact that women can have on their communities and the economy,” said WE HUB CEO, Deepthi Ravula.

WE HUB is the first-of-its-kind and only state-run platform for women entrepreneurs run by the government of Telangana. It aims to create a supportive community for aspiring and existing women entrepreneurs where they can interact with venture capitalists for funding, connect with corporates for scaling up their business, get advice from mentors to fine-tune ideas and benefit from technical mentoring.

Telangana’s Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development K.T. Rama Rao on Saturday directed municipal authorities to complete in three months the work related to a steel bridge which is expected to ease congestion in the central part of Hyderabad.

The minister conducted a surprise inspection of the works related to the steel bridge from Indira Park to VST and other development works.

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s (GHMC) engineering team is constructing the 2.62-km long four-lane bi-directional steel bridge.

The minister exhorted the officials to complete the works in three months and asked them to coordinate with Traffic Police to impose traffic diversions needed for the purpose.

He also impressed upon the officials that the safety of workers and the public has to be given priority.

The minister said that the steel bridge will be developed on the lines of other projects completed under the Strategic Road Development Plan (SRDP).

The GHMC is constructing the steel bridge corridor at a cost of nearly Rs 426 crore.

The project will especially serve people in Musheerabad, Khairatabad, Amberpet and surrounding locations. It will ease the flow of traffic at RTC Cross Roads.

Stating that there was a demand for the project from the past two decades, KTR said that a steel bridge is being constructed instead of the traditional concrete bridge so that the works are completed at the earliest.

He said that the project will give relief from traffic congestion to lakhs of people.

The minister also inspected the Strategic Nala Development Programme (SNDP) work at Hussain Sagar Surplus Nala. He assessed the retaining wall being constructed at Ashok Nagar.

He said that a huge amount of funds were allocated for the Hussain Sagar Surplus Nala and constructions such as the retaining wall were taken up.

He said that this will protect low lying areas from flood water from the lake. He asked the GHMC officials to complete the works before monsoons set in.

The government of Telangana will work on a programme to position Hyderabad as the “Health-Tech Mecca” of the world, state industries minister K.T. Rama Rao announced on Friday.

Through various incubator programmes, and access to deep computing resources, the state will actively support startups that drive the convergence of healthcare and technology.

He exuded confidence that a few global health-tech unicorns will emerge out of this programme.

Addressing BioAsia, the leading life sciences event which began here on Friday, he described Hyderabad as the life sciences capital of Asia.

The 20th edition of BioAsia is being attended by healthcare, pharma, and life sciences leaders from more than 100 countries.

KTR, as the minister is popularly known, recalled that the state had set out a vision of doubling the value of the life sciences ecosystem to $100 billion by 2030.

“A lot of people felt that it was too ambitious. I am pleased to announce that the ecosystem value has already touched $80 billion in 2022. This represents a phenomenal ecosystem value growth in Telangana at a mind boggling 23 per cent over the last two years compared to the national average of about 14 per cent,” he said.

He exuded confidence that the state will achieve the target by 2025 itself, five years ahead of schedule.

“We are proud to state that Hyderabad is the only city in the country that has an ever-growing Genome Valley, an expanding Medtech Park and an upcoming Pharma City, which will be the world’s largest,” he said.

KTR said the state attracted net new investment of more than $3 billion over the last 7 years. More than 4.5 lakh jobs were created during the same period.

“Our ultimate aim is to make Telangana, the knowledge capital of the world’s life sciences industry. A key component of this is the growth of the lifesciences services sector. We already serve more than 1,000 lifesciences companies globally, including the top 10 pharma companies, in their innovation journey,” he said.

The minister explained that this is being done through the cutting-edge work being executed by R&D and technology partners like Aragen, Sai, Syngene, Deloitte, Accenture, Tech Mahindra, among many others.

He pointed out that 4 of the top 10 global innovator companies now have a direct presence in Hyderabad through their dedicated centers. These centers drive core R&D, digital and engineering activities, thereby contributing to bringing lifesaving cost-effective therapies and devices to patients world-wide.

He said convergence of healthcare and technology is one of the four pillars the government is building.

The other three are complex manufacturing at scale, R&D and innovation, building high-end, cross value chain Global Capability Centre (GCCs)

“Our ultimate vision through building these four pillars is to play a significant part in advancing the quality of human lives world-wide. And we can only do it if we bring forth the spirit of collaboration. Hence, theme of BioAsia 2023 “Advancing for one” couldn’t be more relevant,” he said.

He said the Covid-19 pandemic has proved the value of collaboration and its impact on people’s wellbeing, when the world came together to overcome one of humanity’s greatest healthcare challenges. Hence, the theme Advancing for One to celebrate the spirit of collaboration and promoting human prosperity.

KTR pointed out that Telangana contributes 40 per cent of India’s Pharma production and is home to more than 1,000 life sciences companies.

“We are the only region in the world to have more than 200 FDA approved sites for pharmaceutical manufacturing which produce both innovator and generic medicines. Our capability will be further strengthened with the launch of Hyderabad Pharma City, which is the world’s largest and sustainable integrated pharma park.”

“Hyderabad has been leading biological production in the country with its key players like Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Biological E, Bharat Biotech, Shantha Biotech, Aurobindo, Hetero, Gland Pharma and Virchow Biotech. We are working on establishing Biopharma Hub (B-hub), which is a first-of-its-kind Growth-Phase Center and Biopharma Scale-up Manufacturing facility in India,” he added.

He revealed that the state was also making investments in the Cell and Gene Therapy space and e-working towards establishing an Institute of Curative Medicine in Hyderabad with the aim to provide affordable development and commercialisation of the new age curative therapies (particularly cell and gene therapy) for disease pertinent to India.

Chandanvelly and adjoining Sitarampur near Hyderabad will become Telangana’s largest industrial cluster in future, state Industries and Commerce Minister K.T. Rama Rao said on Wednesday.

Tech giant Microsoft, global e-commerce leader Amazon, and leading textile company Kitex Garments are setting up their units in this cluster, where textile major Welspun India Ltd on Wednesday opened its second manufacturing facility.

Microsoft has reportedly acquired 52 acres in Chandanvelly to establish one of the three data centres in Hyderabad. Amazon is also planning to set up a data centre at Chandanvelly.

Kitex Garments, which has already signed MoU with Telangana government to invest Rs 2,406 crore in the state, is setting up one of the two units in this cluster.

Sitarampur will be one of the electric vehicle manufacturing clusters under Telangana Mobility Valley (TMV).

Inaugurating the Welspun facility, Rama Rao recalled that five years ago when Welspun came to Chandanvelly, there was nothing in the area.

He also recalled that Welspun had originally planned to set up the unit at Kutch in Gujarat but when he met Welspun Chairman Balkrishan Goenka and explained to him the strengths of the region and assured full support, the latter dropped the idea of setting up plant in Gujarat and choose Telangana.

He pointed out that Welspun started two units with an investment of Rs 2,000 crore and welcomed Goenka’s announcement that in the next 5-6 years, they will invest another Rs 3,000 to 5,000 crore to develop what he calls Welspun valley.

On this occasion, Welspun Group, a global conglomerate, also announced that it would set up an IT/ITeS center in Chandanvelly.

Mentioning that Welspun is already operating in Ahmedabad and Mumbai in the IT/ TES sector, he said that the company has decided to set up their IT Centre in their industrial premises in Chandanvelly.

KTR, as the Minister is popularly known, thanked Goenka for their decision and hoped that this would strengthen the Telangana government’s goal of expanding IT to tier 2 and 3 cities. With the establishment of Welspun IT Centre, the desire of the local people to have IT companies in their region will also be fulfilled and 1,000-1,200 local youth will get an opportunity to do IT jobs.

With an investment of Rs 500 crore, the advanced textile facility of Welspun Advanced Material India Ltd, inaugurated on Wednesday, is Welspun’s second investment in the same vicinity after setting up a flooring facility valued at Rs 1,500 crores two years ago.

The plant will manufacture Spun-Lace which is used in categories like hygiene applications, family care and products that are used by individuals in their daily lives. The new plant will also support the Group’s new vision of “Har Ghar Se Har Dil Tak Welspun” according to which, the Welspun Group wants to touch the lives of end consumers through the businesses in their portfolio.

Dipali Goenka, Joint MD and CEO, Welspun India said that the new facility will create over 12,000 direct and indirect jobs that will benefit the surrounding communities of Chandanvelly.