Telangana puts social security,infrastructure on top: Governor ESL Narasimhan

HYDERABAD: The Telangana government has rolled out a transparent strategy to augment welfare of the poor and to usher in balanced development in all spheres of economy and create a corruption free society, Governor ESL Narasimhan said here today.

Addressing the gathering after unfurling the national flag at the first Republic Day function at Parade Ground here, after Telangana state was created, Narasimhan said, "The government is of the view that corruption in the public domain, particularly political corruption, is the root cause of poverty and backwardness."

The government has strengthened governance by leveraging technology particularly in the spheres of vigilance, security and in bringing about public awareness on critical issues impinging on citizen welfare, he said.

The state's economic growth had slumped to 4.5 per cent in 2012-13 owing to marked deceleration in the growth of industrial sector, he said pointing out that the government is committed to reverse this trend with massive infusion of investments into agriculture, industry and infrastructure sectors in order to provide food security, employment avenues and trigger revenue buoyancy.

Narasimhan said the government has rightly prioritised social security and infrastructure as the basis of a balanced and sustainable development model.

"The emphasis, therefore, is on adequate funding and well thought-out strategies for promoting peace, infrastructure development, attractive industrial policies, welfare programmes for all sections, with IT as a tool of development and finally a technology driven and fiscally sound development agenda for the state."

He said majority of the districts in Telangana continue to remain backward with nine out of ten districts in the state covered under the Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF).

"Despite all the constraints, the government is determined to initiate all necessary steps to regain the growth momentum and to ensure that the fruits of development are equitiously shared by all sections of society and particularly the less privileged sections," Narasimhan said.