Develop Infrastructure Outside Hyderabad, ASSOCHAM advises Telangana Govt.

A strategy paper titled ‘Realising Growth Potential of Telangana’, undertaken by the ASSOCHAM, has been released. Development of industrial clusters, tapping of mineral resources, developing the food processing sector and setting up new power projects were some of the recommendations made in the paper, which is already submitted to the Chief Minister. The government should expedite completion of ongoing infrastructure projects and also take up new ones to bridge the divide between Hyderabad and other parts of the state, the report said.

ASSOCHAM would be holding an event  ‘Invest Telangana’ in December this year, with a view to mobilise investments in the state. Telangana has a revenue surplus of Rs 3,555 crore for 2014-15 fiscal. However, Telangana would be left with a loan burden of Rs 61,000 crores in view of the internal debt burden of over Rs 1.45 lakh crore of united Andhra Pradesh (after the Centre waived Rs 18,000 crore debt) to be apportioned between the states on the basis of population ratio, the paper said.

“As such, mobilising resources to fulfil promises made in the election manifesto is the single most immediate concern for the state government,” it said.

Telangana needs to focus on a strategy of using public investment exclusively for development of primary sector and private investment for industry and service sectors, ASSOCHAM  national secretary general D S Rawat said.

Observing that available “human resources of Telangana are largely considered to be unsuitable to work in a dynamic corporate environment,” the ASSOCHAM paper recommended that it is imperative to establish modern training centres through cooperation of the corporate sector across the state.

The new state needs to pay more focus on improvement of power sector and the state must initiate adequate measures to reduce quantitative and qualitative shortfall of power supply across the state, particularly for industries, the paper said.

The state government must focus on sanctioning of new solar power projects and monitor their implementation on priority, the paper said.

ASSOCHAM has stressed upon the need for the state to effectively marshal, harness developments to realise employment and growth opportunities in the biotechnology sector.

The chamber has also suggested the state to scientifically dev
elop the food processing industry “leveraging unexploited natural strengths of Telangana” in this regard. Besides, the state has huge potential to promote growth and development of poultry and dairy industries across the state.

Providing adequate long-term finance to micro, small and medium enterprises, promoting tourism sector through upgradation of tourist infrastructure are among the other recommendations in the strategy paper.

The report points out that up to June 2014, Telangana State has attracted total ‘live’ investments worth about Rs. 3,30,000 crore, with construction and real estate accounting for a major share of 28 per cent, followed by services 23 per cent, electricity 19 per cent, irrigation 16.5 per cent and manufacturing 12 per cent.

In terms of ownership, private sector accounted for almost 59 per cent of the total investments, with the domestic private sector’s share being 56.4 per cent and the remaining 2.4 per cent from private foreign investors.