Mahabubnagar, Telangana – October 1, 2023: Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced significant developments for Telangana during an official event held in Mahabubnagar. He laid the foundation stone for multiple projects and dedicated more than Rs 13,500 crore worth of developmental initiatives to the nation.
Addressing the long-standing demand of the region, Modi declared the establishment of the National Turmeric Board in Telangana. This board will focus professionally on the entire turmeric value chain, benefiting farmers by enhancing value addition and infrastructure support. The Prime Minister highlighted the increased global demand for turmeric, particularly in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Notably, this announcement comes amid criticism from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) regarding the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) promise. During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP candidate D. Arvind, who defeated BRS leader K. Kavitha, had pledged to establish the Turmeric Board within five days of winning the election. However, the Centre had previously stated in March that there was no proposal for a Turmeric Board or any other spice-specific board in the country.
In another significant announcement, Prime Minister Modi revealed the establishment of a Tribal University in Mulugu, which will be named after tribal deities Sammakka and Sarakka. This institution, known as the Sammakka Sarakka Central Tribal University, will receive an allocation of Rs 900 crore. The formation of this tribal university fulfills one of the commitments made to Telangana in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act of 2014. BRS had criticized the BJP for not fulfilling this commitment.
As part of the development initiatives, Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation stone for several road projects within the Nagpur-Vijayawada economic corridor. This corridor is expected to boost trade, tourism, and industry in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. The economic corridor encompasses various economic hubs, including special economic zones, mega food parks, fishing seafood clusters, pharma and medical clusters, and a textile park.
Modi emphasized that this corridor would create substantial employment opportunities for the youth in Hanamkonda, Warangal, Mahabubabad, and Khammam districts, while also aiding farmers in value addition. Furthermore, he noted that the state of Telangana, being landlocked, requires robust road and rail connectivity to facilitate the export of goods to sea ports.
Multiple corridors passing through Telangana, including the Khammam-Suryapet section of the Hyderabad-Visakhapatnam corridor, are expected to play a pivotal role in connecting the east and west coasts, thereby reducing logistic costs for businesses and industries.
