India is the future; Telangana will continue to tell its story: KTR at Oxford University
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) articulated how India's youngest State, Telangana, has emerged as a beacon of inclusive development, resilience, and economic transformation.
'India is the future, and Telangana will continue to tell its story,' he said, delivering a talk organised by the Oxford India Forum at Oxford University, on the theme 'Governing Innovation – A Telangana Case Study.'
KTR highlighted how the State's Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) has grown from ₹4 lakh crore to ₹15 lakh crore, and its per capita income has surged from ₹1.12 lakh to ₹3.57 lakh.
He also spoke of the immense strides Telangana made in attracting global investments. Hyderabad, the State capital, is now home to the world's largest campuses of Amazon and other top global tech companies. The State also houses the world's largest innovation campus, T-Hub, which fosters thousands of startups. Telangana is also a global pharmaceutical hub, producing one-third of the world's vaccines, he explained.
Responding to a question on replicating Telangana's success in other Indian states, KTR argued for a strong institutional framework that encouraged cooperative federalism. He stressed the need for a 'big brother' role the Union Government has to play in helping States complement each other's strengths rather than compete destructively.
The former Minister also addressed the contentious issue of redistricting and regional disparities in India. He argued that basing the redrawing of Lok Sabha boundaries solely on population would unfairly penalise southern states like Telangana that have effectively implemented population control measures. Instead, he advocated for a GDP-based formula to reward high-performing States and ensure equitable representation in Parliament.
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