Agriculture Minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy has said there was plenty of scope for the establishment of agro- based industries in the State. The State Government was giving all kinds of clearances to industries set up with an investment of up to ₹5 crore within 15 days.
The State is free from hassles of power and water shortages and the Government was improving infrastructure on a large scale. In the past in the unified State ₹300 crore was allotted for the development of roads for all the 23 districts while now each Assembly constituency in Telangana was getting an amount equal to that for the purpose, he said.
Addressing the gathering of teachers, students and residents after dedicating the newly constructed building (at a cost of ₹16 crore) for the Government Food Technology College at Rudrur mandal headquarters on Wednesday, the Minister said that this was the 13th Food Technology College in the country. “I thank Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for giving a rare opportunity to the district by sanctioning the college,” he said.
Mr. Srinivas Reddy said that the Government was spending ₹40,000 crore on the welfare schemes. Free sarees would be distributed among 1.05 crore women in connection with the Bathukamma celebrations. In all 520 residential schools and colleges were opened within three years in the State, he added.
In the past owners of companies of seeds and agriculture implements used to call the shots in Agriculture Minister’s chamber while the State was united and now that nexus is broken, he said. He added that spurious seed and fertilizer suppliers were booked under the PD Act and sent to jail. From September 1 onwards village farmer coordination committees with 15 members including one third of them women would coming into being, he said.
He assured the students of appointing teaching and non-teaching staff on a regular basis within a short time. Zaheerabad MP B.B. Patil, Z.P. Chairman D. Raju, Agriculture University Vice-Chancellor Praveen Rao, In-charge Collector A. Ravinder Reddy and Sub-Collector Sikta Patnaik were present.
