CM KCR Stresses On Reinventing Policy-Making & Re-Orienting Policies

CM KCR unveiled his administration’s ideas for 2.5 Hours and listed out his priorities in various sectors, including irrigation, power and welfare, where he identified several lapses in the erstwhile combined State. He reminded his administration that all laws hitherto were framed in the context of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh.Tthe Chief Minister said new laws would be framed with a Telangana orientation. Addressing a day-long workshop and brainstorming session at Dr Marri Chenna Reddy HR Development Institute, which is aimed at giving a direction to the new state, the Chief Minister said he would himself get involved in the planning process in certain critical departments and asked his Cabinet colleagues to play their part in their respective departments. A large number of officials from every district were at the MCR-HRD Institute to attend the brain-storming over polcy making in the new State.

 The CM also indicated that the state cabinet will soon be expanded, towards this month-end. Here is a clip from the speech.

 

Advocating a bottom-up approach, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday asked his government machinery to draft plans from the village level towards a “re-oriented and re-invented” state.  “Plan for the village. Plan for the mandal. Plan for the district and then plan for the state. What all happened in the past is irrelevant for Telangana. Plan critically in the context of Telangana. It should not be a mere bureaucratic planning. Take every elected public representative right from the village level into confidence while drafting the plans,” Rao said.

“I am not in a hurry. People have given us mandate for 60 months. There is no harm even if we spend two or three months in planning things. A better plan is half victory, so we have to have an integrated plan. We have full five years and scope for ensuring a sea change of things,” Chandrasekhar Rao remarked.  “We may not reject the laws in toto. We may also not absorb them in toto. Some of the laws could be useful for us,” he pointed out. But policies won’t be followed just because it is already there and some policy has to continue. Every policy will be critically examined.

Listing agriculture, irrigation, industrial development, panchayat raj and forestry as priority areas for his government, KCR emphasised at the same time that “welfare” would be the flagship programme. “Poverty alleviation is our top challenge,” he said.  He reiterated that his government would adopt “zero tolerance” to corruption. 

KCR’s Cabinet colleagues, Telangana Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma, six advisors to the government, Special Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, Secretaries, heads of departments, district Collectors, joint collectors and other officials attended the workshop. 

Here are some major points discussed at the meeting -

Policy Making:

State Advisory Board to be set up with experts from various walks of life to aid and guide the government.

The City will expand three-fold once ITIR completes; Law & Order wont be compromised at any cost.  Hyderabad would be developed as a world-class city with another outer ring road in a radius of 100 kms from the city where satellite townships would be set up. Steps would be taken for provision of necessary amenities, de-congestion of traffic and maintenance of law and order

Hyderabad will encourage new industries beyond ORR which will come up 60-70 km distance.

In irrigation, the CM said Telangana suffered badly as it lost about 200 tmc ft water storage in minor irrigation sector due to destruction of its traditional tanks. A storage of 265 tmc ft in the tanks was guaranteed by Bachawat tribunal in Krishna and Godavari basins but the availability now was only 65 tmc ft. He asked irrigation officials to rejuvenate all the tanks on a war footing. Govt. will emphasize on storing waters in new projects from its due share of 1200 TMC waters from Krishna and Godavari.

About 35 lakh acres land available for the government and it will give 2.20 lakh acres for industries and asked the officials to come up with a comprehensive plan for the development of industries in the State.

Will allot 10 per cent of water for drinking purpose from each new irrigation project.

One of the goals of the State government was to increase the green cover in Telangana from the existing 25 per cent to 33 per cent of the total area by planting 2.3 billion saplings in the next three years, he said, adding that every year, 33,000 saplings would be planted in each village taking the total to 99,000 in three years. Planting of 100 crore saplings in forest area, 10 crore in HMDA purview, encourage the same in rural areas to city level.

 

Governance:

Criticizes a section of the media for making a hue and cry on demolition of illegal structures in Hyderabad; There are about 58,000 illegal constructions in the city which tells Govt. the need for regulating the city.

A random survey in 593 villages by the housing department revealed that Rs 235 crore sanctioned for the weaker sections housing program had been misappropriated. All those involved in the irregularities in Housing to poor scheme will be sent to jail.

Computerization of land & revenue details to eliminate middlemen and irregularities.

Setting up of a dumping yard and cemetery in each village.

Collectors to monitor the village, mandal, town level plans for speedy development.

To implement our policies, the newly elected MLAs and MLCs will get needed training in the next 15-20 days and asked the officials to prepare a schedule in this regard. All of them would undergo a three-day training program. After training, the elected representatives to plan will for their village, mandal, district and State level.

The Telangana State has 8,500 Sarpanches, 6,473 MPTC, 441ZPTC and MPP, 62 Municipalities, six corporations, 1,388 municipal wards and all of them would be involved.

Panchayat Raj System needs a change to address grievances and be responsive.

Welfare measures:

Promise of Crop Loan Waiver and other promises will be kept and they will be discussed during next meeting of the Cabinet.

The TRS Government will give land to landless and poor.

Govt. spend Rs 6,160 crore for Dalit welfare

Research & Development:

Sugarcane Research Center in Medak & Turmeric Research center in Nizamabad, KCR. Agricultural research centers will be set up to cater to every district.

 The capital will be turned into a “Seed Bowl” of India and the world, as ICRISAT and other seed & crop related companies based in Hyderabad.

2 new airports in Telangana — one in Keesara location and the other around Shamirpet location.