KTR counters Congress with Economic Survey references to Telangana tax revenue, irrigation projects 

BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao defends Telangana's development under the party rule, refuting Congress propaganda, with Economic Survey data.

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao cited the Economic Survey 2024-25 references to development projects and performance parameters of Telangana during the party’s regime to counter the Congress.

Accusing the ruling [Congress] party in Telangana of making attempts to tarnish BRS supremo and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s legacy, he said “they cannot erase the fact that Telangana was a trailblazer and triumphant across all sectors under BRS rule”.

“Debunking the Congress party’s propaganda on Telangana’s fiscal health, our State emerged as the top State with 88% of State-Owned Tax Revenue [contribution to total tax revenue]. This achievement was made possible by the prudent fiscal policies implemented by former CM KCR garu,” he said in a release hours after the Economic Survey was tabled in the Parliament on Friday (January 31, 2025).

The Survey reaffirms the success of the Telangana Model and the holistic, integrated, inclusive and balanced development under BRS rule, he said, adding “despite relentless mudslinging and misinformation campaigns against flagship projects like Kaleshwaram, Telangana remained a front-runner in irrigation.” He said this citing that Telangana exhibited around 90% irrigation coverage of its gross cropped area due to the construction of new irrigation projects.

“Between FY16 and FY21, India experienced a significant increase in irrigation area coverage and intensity. The coverage of irrigation area has increased [during the period] from 49.3% to 55% of the gross cropped area (GCA), while irrigation intensity has risen from 144.2% to 154.5%. States such as Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Telangana exhibit high irrigation coverage of their gross cropped area, with figures around 98%, 94%, 84% and 86%, respectively,” according to the Economic Survey.

Mr. Rao also highlighted, from the survey, the reference to WE HUB. He said the women entrepreneurship initiative announced during the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) in 2017 has become a role model for the country. WE HUB was launched with the vision of fostering women’s entrepreneurship, and it is heartening to see it flourishing.

Drinking water coverage and Telangana excelling in the service sector were other aspects he sought to highlight. “Thanks to KCR’s brainchild, Mission Bhagiratha, Telangana became one of the first Indian States to provide safe drinking water to every household. Telangana excelled in the service sector, with high per-capita service GSVA and service shares in GSVA,” the former IT and Industries Minister said.