BackTelangana is India’s 29th state, KCR its first chief minister
TRS president K.C. Rao pledges to make Telangana a role model for other states in India
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Hyderabad: Washed in pink, India’s 29th state, Telangana, took birth on Monday, 58 years after it was merged with the Telugu-speaking regions of southern India, dropping the curtain on a forceful struggle for statehood.
Hours after Telangana’s birth at the stroke of midnight, its first chief minister, K. Chandrasekhar Rao, popularly known as KCR, pledged to make the state of 35 million “a role model for other states in India".
After being sworn in, KCR, whose Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) party spearheaded a five-year campaign for statehood, also promised to retain the brand image of Hyderabad and make the city, the state’s economic engine, a slum-free international city.
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On Monday, party workers covered the city in pink—the colour of the TRS flag—to mark the separation of the region that was merged with Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra in 1956. The Telangana state assembly will convene on 9 February and appoint the speaker of the house.
KCR will rule over a state spread over nearly 115,000 sq km with 10 districts—Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, Medak, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Adilabad, Nalgonda, Warangal, Khammam and Mahbubnagar—that form the north-western part of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh.
“Congrats to K. Chandrasekhar Rao Garu on taking oath as Telangana’s 1st CM. My best wishes to people for the state’s development journey," Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on Monday.
“Centre assures complete support to the people & Government of Telangana in taking the state to newer heights of progress," Modi added in another tweet. KCR was also congratulated by N. Chandrababu Naidu, his counterpart from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) who will head the new government in Andhra Pradesh, as the coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions will together continue to be known.
Industries welcomed the end to the protracted uncertainty and agitation that had gripped the state capital Hyderabad, home to several information technology, pharmaceuticals, banking and media firms.
“The government of India took a decision to carve out a state of Telangana, but the process created tremendous amount of mistrust and confusion for both the parties. This is past us and we hope to see two friendly Telugu-speaking states after June 2, 2014," B.V.R. Mohan Reddy, executive chairman of Hyderabad-based engineering services provider Cyient Ltd, said.
Eleven ministers who will be part of KCR’s cabinet—including his son K.T. Rama Rao (panchayat raj and information technology) and nephew T. Harish Rao (irrigation, marketing and legislative affairs) —were also sworn in by governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, who holds the charge for both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
KCR also appointed two deputy chief ministers, Mohd. Mahmood Ali and T. Rajaiah—a Muslim and a member of the scheduled castes, respectively.
Narasimhan was sworn in as governor of Telangana on Monday, lifting the President’s Rule imposed on the region when the Andhra Pradesh assembly was placed under suspended animation from February. The other part of Andhra Pradesh will continue to be under President’s Rule until 8 June, when the TDP assumes office there.
The governor will be responsible for law and order in Hyderabad that will be the joint capital of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for a 10-year period, according to legislation passed by Parliament. Hyderabad will become the exclusive capital of Telangana after the 10-year period.
The Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act 2014 was passed in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in February in an unprecedented hurry by the outgoing United Progressive Alliance (UPA), triggering protests from some ruling party ministers and opposition parties.
The last chief minister of the united state, N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, openly rebelled against the Congress leadership and resigned from office and the Congress party after the Bill was passed in Lok Sabha amid a television blackout of proceedings.
While the two states have been officially divided as per schedule, work to separate some of the functions in various departments between the two governments is still underway.
Underscoring the uncomfortable relationship between the two states, KCR staged a shutdown strike in Telangana on Thursday to protest an ordinance approved by the Union government to annex 205 villages in seven mandals (local administrative units) of Khammam district in Telangana to Andhra Pradesh to facilitate the construction of a dam on the river Godavari.
While Telangana has a revenue surplus of ₹ 3,555 crore, the new Andhra Pradesh state, comprising 13 districts, will open its account for 2014-15 with a revenue deficit of ₹ 15,691 crore.
“The Andhra Pradesh bifurcation will have significant implications on resource flow to the two new states—Telangana and new Andhra Pradesh—and on their economic development. In the long run, both of the regions are likely to benefit, but both of them will face considerable uncertainty in the immediate future," said D.K. Srivastava, chief policy advisor at consultancy firm EY (formerly known as Ernst and Young).
For the moment though, there were only celebrations.
“We will make Telangana a role model for other states in India," KCR said at a post-swearing in ceremony where he inspected a parade by the state police.
He acknowledged that the city’s real estate sector has been going through difficult times because of the political uncertainty over the last five years and promised to focus on the sector that provides employment to 150,000-200,000 people.
KCR also said his government will transform Telangana from a power-deficit to a power-surplus state in the next five years.
And given the state’s climatic and soil conditions, he said, Telangana has the potential to be the “seed power of India".
A firm believer in astrology, KCR entered his chambers and later held discussions with various cabinet colleagues at the state secretariat at different auspicious moments throughout the day.
The new government also passed its first order in the afternoon by appointing the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as banker to the Telangana government. It apportioned ₹ 1.38 crore to its account with RBI, according to the government order.
The government also appointed six advisors including retired IAS officers for a one-year period, on its first day.
The TRS government will implement all poll promises made in its manifesto, which is largely welfare-driven, the chief minister said. He announced a ₹ 100,000 crore fund for backward classes and other weaker sections of society. Half the fund will go to scheduled castes, who form 22% of the state’s population.
Among other welfare schemes he introduced were monthly pensions of ₹ 1,000 for the elderly, ₹ 1,500 for handicapped and ₹ 1,000 for beedi (tobacco) workers.
KCR said he would waive the loans of farmers for amounts up to ₹ 1 lakh each in the near future.
The Telangana government will also build double bedroom accommodation of 125 sq. yards each for weaker sections.
He also announced special increments and health cards for government employees to mark the state’s formation. KCR said his government will have a zero tolerance policy towards corruption and atrocities against women.
The inauguration of Telangana marks the close of a long journey.
Andhra Pradesh was the first linguistic state of independent India.
The Congress party formed the first government of the erstwhile Hyderabad state, comprising Telangana and parts of north Karnataka and Southwest Maharashtra in the aftermath of independence. Six years later, the state assemblies of Hyderabad and Andhra passed resolutions agreeing to merge the Telugu-speaking regions after a so-called gentlemen’s agreement was signed between their leaders. The modern-day Andhra Pradesh with Hyderabad as its capital was formed on 1 November 1956.
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