Hyderabad: An urge to break from the past, treading a new path and seeking to leave a Telangana stamp on different issues mark the tenure of the TRS government which completed 100 days in office today.
Having successfully led the agitation for formation of Telangana State, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who during Assembly elections promised to adopt a “new approach” in governance, sought to reach out to different sections by making them feel part of his administration. The Telangana Government, however, had a frosty relation with the new Andhra Pradesh for most of the 100 days until Rao and his counterpart in the adjoining State N Chandrababu Naidu broke the ice last month.
The TRS Government almost came to a confrontation with the BJP-led ruling coalition at the Centre over the issue of special powers to common Governor in Hyderabad. The Government's decisions like dropping police cases against those who agitated for separate state, offering special ‘Telangana increment' to the Government employees and offering Rs 10 lakh ex-gratia for families of ‘Telangana martyrs', recognising Telangana festivals like Bonalu and Bathukamma have endeared him to the people.
In a departure from the past, Government celebrated the Independence Day inside the historic Golconda Fort as a way of highlighting Telangana's rich cultural heritage. Among the milestones in the 100-day journey are: conducting the intensive household survey on a single day (August 19) despite reservations expressed in some quarters, working on the farm loan waiver scheme and releasing about Rs 470 crore input subsidy to farmers who suffered crop damages.
Other positives included preparation of an industrial policy with single window clearance system, distribution of land among Dalits, announcement on regularisation of 40,000 contract employees, modernisation of police force, seeking to help the real estate sector by offering withdrawing VAT and ‘nala' cess and making Hyderabad a wi-fi city.
“100 days is a short period for any Government. Under the leadership of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, we have achieved many things which gave confidence to the people. “When household survey was conducted many people said many things. But the way people have supported him, you got to know the confidence and expectations people have from Chandrasekhar Rao,” IT Minister K T Rama Rao told reporters. “We will do planning and execution in the remaining term. It will be a combination of welfare and development,” said the Chief Minister's son.
