Hyderabad, May 10 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday told Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy that if the Centre extends to Telangana the same level of assistance that Gujarat received during the 10 years of Congress rule at the Centre, the state would end up getting only half of what it currently receives. PM Modi made the remarks in response to a request from the Chief Minister at an event in Hyderabad, where he launched and inaugurated projects worth Rs 9,400 crore.
Seeking liberal assistance from the Centre for Telangana, Revanth Reddy said PM Modi had developed the “Gujarat model” as the Chief Minister of that state with support from the Centre when Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister.
The Chief Minister said the people of Telangana now hoped that the state would receive similar support from the Centre to achieve the goal of becoming a $1 trillion economy by 2034 and a $3 trillion economy by 2047.
“Revanth Ji had said that he will not talk about politics. So, I too will not talk about it. And therefore, on a non-political matter, I would like to tell Revanth Ji that I am ready to give you as much as the Government of India had given to Gujarat during those 10 years (of Congress rule). But from my knowledge, I can tell you that as soon as I do this, whatever you are getting will be halved. Wherever you want to reach, you will not be able to reach,” the Prime Minister said.
He also remarked that it would be better for Revanth Reddy to stay aligned with him.
“We firmly believe that in a democracy, it is not wrong to have governments of different parties in different states. Development of states is essential for the country’s development. The country cannot develop without the development of states,” he said, adding that rapid development of states remains central to the Centre’s policies and programmes.
The Prime Minister said he wanted to assure every family in Telangana that the Central government would continue to work at an even faster pace to fulfil their aspirations.
He also reminded the Telangana Chief Minister that before the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, the railway budget for the undivided state was less than Rs 1,000 crore.
“Today, Telangana alone has a railway budget of around Rs 5,500 crore. Currently, railway projects worth nearly Rs 50,000 crore are underway. Today, five Vande Bharat and six Amrit Bharat trains are operating in Telangana,” he said.
PM Modi inaugurated, dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone for six projects worth Rs 9,400 crore at an event held at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) in Cyberabad.
The Prime Minister dedicated Indian Oil’s Malkapur Terminal Project in Hyderabad to the nation and stressed the importance of energy security.
“Today, every person in the world understands the importance of energy security. That is why our Central government is making unprecedented investments in India’s energy security,” he said.
He said the Malkapur terminal would not only meet Telangana’s growing energy needs but would also strengthen the supply chain.
The Prime Minister called for restrained use of imported energy products to conserve foreign exchange reserves and minimise the adverse impact of global conflicts.
“In the last few years, India has emerged among the leading countries in solar power. Unprecedented progress has been made in ethanol blending with petrol. We have focused extensively on LPG coverage and CNG to tackle the global energy crisis. However, the need of the hour is to use petrol, diesel and gas with utmost restraint,” he said.
PM Modi noted that the strength of Cyberabad carried both national and global significance.
“Cyberabad is a centre of rapid development for Telangana and the country. Today, several major projects are being launched from here to make Telangana a major manufacturing powerhouse for the country. These projects will create thousands of new jobs and strengthen Telangana’s connectivity,” he said.
“Today, India is moving ahead on the Reforms Express. Alongside that, modern India is also building world-class infrastructure,” the Prime Minister said while inaugurating the Zaheerabad Industrial Area being developed under the Hyderabad-Nagpur Industrial Corridor (HNIC) as part of the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme.
He said the industrial smart city would be equipped with world-class infrastructure, reliable power supply and advanced ICT networks, while providing all necessary facilities to investors from across the world.
The Prime Minister also virtually inaugurated the PM MITRA Park at Warangal and said that when India was among the world’s largest economies in the past, the textile industry had played a major role in that growth.
“Today, we are once again strengthening that legacy. The PM MITRA Park in Warangal will accelerate the textile revolution in the country. Units being set up in the PM MITRA Park will also receive the full benefits of the Central government’s schemes,” he said.
PM Modi said that over the past 12 years, one of the Central government’s biggest priorities had been modern connectivity.
“Be it roads, railways or airports, unprecedented investment is being made in every mode of connectivity,” he said.
He revealed that investments worth around Rs 1.75 lakh crore had been made in national highways alone. Stating that Telangana had emerged as a major beneficiary, he said the national highway network in the state had doubled over the last 11 years.
The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for the four-laning of National Highway-167 from Gudebellur to Mahabubnagar on the Hyderabad-Panaji Economic Corridor.
He further dedicated key railway infrastructure projects to the nation, including the Kazipet-Vijayawada multi-tracking project. He also dedicated the Kazipet Rail Under Bridge bypass project.
–IANS
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