Telangana Praja Palana Dinotsavam

” The evil spirit of  Nizam. We never witnessed such an autocratic ruler like you. It is you who catapulted us in the fire by cutting the strings. Naa Telangana Koti Ratanala Veena”

Distinguished Telangana poet Dasharathi Krishnamacharya penned this famous slogan against the monarchy, dictatorship and tyrannical rule on the land of Telangana 76 years ago. At one side noted poets and writers and the other side armed fighters fought against Nizam’s tyrannical rule and liberated Telangana from the shackles of slavery on the historical day of September 17, 1948, on this Hyderabad soil.  It is not a fight against one region, one caste and one particular area. The entire nation revolted against the autocratic rule for freedom and self-respect.

Telangana symbolises sacrifice. Telangana Armed struggle hero Doddi Komaraiah is the pioneer of those sacrifices. Komaraiah sacrificed his entire life for armed struggle.  Numerous people sacrificed their lives in the armed struggle. The armed struggle fighters never gave up despite losing everything in the pursuit of achieving the goal.  On this occasion, I pay glorious tributes to the martyrs who laid down their lives in the armed struggle. My hearty wishes to the four crore Telangana people on the occasion of ” Praja Palana Dinotsavam” today.

September 17 is the most significant day in the history of Telangana.  Until now,  there are differences of opinion on defining this auspicious day.  Some are calling it as Merger Day and some say Liberation Day.  We decided to organize September 17 officially after the People’s Government assumed power in the state.  After a  deep thought, we have decided to celebrate September 17 as “Praja Palana Dinotsavam” (People’s Governance Day)

The Telangana dislodged Nizam’s tyrannical rule ushering in the new chapter of democratic legacy on September 17, 1948. This is the big triumph of the Telangana people.  Politics has no place in this.  It would be foolish if anyone tried to derive political advantages from the entire episode of the Telangana armed struggle.  The people’s government strongly felt that it was wrong to act in such a way as to thin out the sacrifices of the Telangana martyrs of yesteryear by calling the historical day Merger day or Liberation Day.  It is the reason,  the people’s government linked the historical day to people and called it “Praja Palana Dinotsavam”

The People’s Government took such an important decision to reflect the aspirations of four crore people and their thoughts.  If anyone finds fault with the decision against the spirit of the armed struggle, it will be only for their selfish interest and not for public wish.

 We have no interest in this.  It is not a decision made for the sake of the Congress party or our personal aspirations.  If we observe carefully, the appearance of the geographical area of Telangana is similar to the Clenched Fist which is a symbol of fighting. It is called a Fist when the five fingers are tightly pressed into the palm.  It denotes the message that all races, castes and religions are united in Telangana.  It is unforgivable that some people are trying to create a dispute on September 17 to the detriment of the unity.

A clenched Fist has the power to crush the hills also. A united Telangana is as strong as a clenched fist.  This is the fist of four crore people and it should be forever.  This fist should always be a sign of struggle against the oppressors and dictators.  Telangana has been under Dictator rule for the last 10 years. September 17 is an inspiration for us to break the shackles of slavery. After I assumed office as PCC President, I  vowed that I would liberate Telangana from the dictator’s rule.  We held the  “Dalit-Tribal Atma Gaurav (self-esteem)  Dandora”  on Gajwel soil on September 17, 2021. The armed struggle inspired us to attain freedom for  Telangana on December 3, 2023.  Our thinking and our practice always aim to fulfill people’s aspirations.   It is the reason we are officially celebrating this auspicious day as “Public Governance Day”.

My government accorded top priority to Transparency in the governance of the Telangana state, which has been formed by many sacrifices.  The government is responsible and every decision is being taken from the people’s perspective.  We are respecting the aspirations of Telangana Martyrs and the youth. The government has been taking steps in that direction from the day we assumed office.  We recognized the importance of the cultural and economical revival of the Telangana State, which was destroyed in ten years.

The previous rulers considered  Telangana culture as their home culture and the existence of Telangana means their family existence.  They created an illusion that the existence of Telangana society depends on their humane approach.  They never tried to understand our culture and inherent character.  They abandoned the history of overthrowing of Nizam dictator rule in Telangana.  As your child,  I know the heartbeat of Telangana. I started a cultural renaissance soon after coming to power.  The song “Jaya Jayahe Telangana Janani Jayaketanam”, written by Ande Sri, who voiced the aspirations of Telangana during the movement, has been declared as the official song of Telangana state and initiated the cultural revival of Telangana.  The abbreviation of  Telangana state has also been changed to TG.  It’s not just a change of letters but the judgment of the people’s aspirations. We performed Bhumi Puja to install the Telangana Talli statue in the state Secretariat recently. The Telangana Talli statue will be installed on December 9 this year on a grand scale.  It has also been decided to present the film awards in the name of Telangana’s Cultural Icon -Gaddar.  The  Women’s University in Koti has been named after the Telangana Armed Struggle fighter Chakali Ilamma. We are moving forward to restore Telangana’s cultural glory in every thought.

The Telangana State’s economy was ruined with a mounting debt of Rs 7 lakh crore in the last 10 years. We took the reins of the state in vulnerable economic conditions. We have been paying Rs 6000 crore to clear debts and interest on loans every month.   As promised, we have taken it as a challenge to implement the Six Guarantees and put the economy on the right track. Government has been trying its best to improve the financial situation through debt restructuring. Plugged leakages in the revenue generation.  We are trying hard to get all the central funds.  I went to Delhi many times and met with all the Union Ministers including the Prime Minister and submitted memoranda. Some political forces are criticising my Delhi tours.  I am not a farmhouse chief minister to stay at home without moving out. I am a hard working chief minister.  I am not going to Delhi for my selfishness or personal work.  Delhi is not in Pakistan or Bangladesh.  It is the capital of our country.  It is a federal system.  There are many issues between the states and the centre.  States have been paying thousands of crores of rupees in the form of taxes to the Centre.  It is our right to seek the state’s share of the taxes. I will go to Delhi many times to claim the state’s share in the future also. The state government made strong arguments before the 16th Finance Commission for more funds and demanded that 50 percent of the central taxes should be given to the states.

We are branding our state as a “Future State” on the world platform.  It is a strategic effort to attract huge investments in the state. Recently, we laid the foundation stone for the Fourth City at Begari Kancha.  There is no doubt that Musi beautification will change the contours of Hyderabad.  The Musi Riverfront Development project is

not just a tourist attraction. We will promote it as an economic hub and provide livelihoods to thousands of small and middle class traders.

The people’s government adopted a two-pronged strategy for the development of youth in Telangana. We are getting rid of the drug menace which crippled the state in the last 10 years. The government took stringent measures to root out drug trafficking and eradicate drug addiction which has become a

major challenge for the future of the youth.  T-NAB has been strengthened.  On the other hand, the State government is promoting the sports. The government felicitated Telangana youth who won medals in the Paralympics and other international competitions. The  Intercontinental Football Competition was also held in Hyderabad recently.  The establishment of Young India Skill University is a boon for youth. The university will hone the skills of the youth and ensure employment and job security.  The establishment of Young India Sports University will be a turning point in the sports history of Telangana.  We strongly believe that sports play a vital role in the development of society.        

Telangana is not only a future state.  It also needs to be promoted as a Clean State.  As I said before, apart from economic and cultural renaissance, the revival of a protected environment is also a need of the hour. It is the reason the government constituted HYDRAA. The city of Hyderabad is popularly known as   Lake City. Today, the city has turned into a city of floods because of the sins committed by the previous rulers. The Hydraa has been set up to demolish encroachments in the lakes and other water bodies. Future generations will have to pay a heavy price if the Lakes, Ponds and Canals are not protected.  Kerala State witnessed nature’s fury in recent times.  Thousands of people succumbed. That situation should not arise in Hyderabad.  There is no political dimension in the establishment of HYDRAA.  I am not selfish.  It is good work to protect nature on a mission mode. My appeal to everyone should contribute.  Some land mafias are trying to undermine the HYDRAA by highlighting the poor people’s issues first.  Hydra is unstoppable no matter how many obstacles come its way.  Hydraa guarantees the future of Hyderabad.  This is my assurance and request people  to cooperate

Congress has been maintaining a good track record in terms of public welfare. Despite facing numerous financial challenges, the Congress government is

rewriting its own record in implementing the welfare schemes. The new state of Telangana was handed over to previous rulers with a surplus budget. They failed to waive the farm loans at least up to Rs one lakh during the 10 year regime. Congress government waived farm loans up to Rs 2 lakhs at one go within six months of coming to power. Some difficulties and challenges are faced. We will resolve those issues and ensure that every eligible person gets the benefit of a loan waiver. My challenge from this platform… Is there anywhere else in the country that has deposited Rs  18,000 crores in the bank accounts of 22 lakh farmers within six months!?  This is our commitment towards the farmers welfare.

Women benefited from 87 crore free bus rides saving their Rs 2,958 crores.  We launched the free bus travel scheme for women within 48 hours of coming to power.  Rajiv Arogyasri’s scheme limit has been increased from Rs 5 Lakhs to Rs 10 lakhs.   An additional 163 medical treatments have also been included in the Arogyasri list.  Government decided to provide  Arogyasri benefits regardless of ration cards.  A new Osmania Government Hospital will be constructed at Goshamahal in Hyderabad

43 lakh families benefited from the subsidized cooking gas cylinder at Rs 500 scheme. The government already paid Rs 282 crores for this scheme. Poorer sections are provided free power supply of up to 200 units.  49 lakh families have already benefited from the scheme.  The state government paid a subsidy of Rs 965 crore to date. The government envisaged plans to build 4,50,000 houses this year as part of the Indiramma house scheme. The government will provide financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh for the construction of each house under the scheme. Housing plots will also be sanctioned to those who did not own a piece of land for constructing the house. Indian Institute of Handloom Technology for Weavers was launched recently and started classes this year. The IITH has been named after noted Telangana movement leader  Konda Lakshman Bapuji. The government constituted Telangana Education Commission to bring revolutionary changes to the education system.

We laid the foundation stone for  Telangana Young India Skill University to provide employment and job opportunities to the youth along with skill development and training. The university will offer skill development courses from this year.  An attempt has been made to ensure the future of the unemployed.  30,000 recruitment letters were already given to the selected candidates in various government departments within 3 months after coming to power and gave a ray of hope to the job aspirants. Group one preliminary exam was conducted without any controversy and DSC for teacher recruitment to fill  11,062 posts. The government is issuing job notifications as per the job calendar announced in the assembly. The government launched the Indira Mahila Shakti Scheme with an aim  to promote women as millionaires.  We resolved to provide Rs one lakh crore loans to 63 lakh women members in the next five years.

As promised in the manifesto, the government decided to give Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia to the bereaved family of the Gulf worker who died abroad.  Free education will be provided to the children of Gulf workers in the Gurukul institutions and give them priority in the admission. The government is setting up a ‘Pravasi Prajavani Kendra ‘ in Praja Bhavan as part of Prajavani to address the grievances of  Gulf workers and also Telangana citizens working in other countries quickly. We will also form a committee to study the plights of the Gulf workers and prepare long-term plans for their solutions.

The People’s Government is committed to the all-round development of Telangana, youth empowerment,  women’s self-reliance, farmer’s welfare, and social and economic upliftment of the underprivileged.  The separate Telangana is the result of the sacrifice of many prominent personalities. The government will remember their sacrifices in every decision taken as part of the administration. The welfare of 4 crore Telangana people will be the cornerstone of governance.  Henceforth, September 17 is being celebrated as ‘Praja Palana Dinotsavam’ ( People’s Governance Day).  The people of Telangana are the sailors of this state.  Their thoughts are our practice. Our endeavour is to fulfill people’s aspirations.

Thank you all.

Jai Hind…..Jai Telangana.