Winning elections more demanding than cracking UPSC exams: KTR

Hyderabad, Aug 11:  Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President and Telangana minister K. T. Rama Rao believes that winning elections proves more demanding than cracking the UPSC examination.

He observed that if young individuals embarking on a political journey engage in politics at the grassroots level, their success is assured.

Interacting with students at the launch of the 8th batch of the Advanced Management Programme in Public Policy (AMPPP) in Indian School of Business (ISB) at Mohali on Friday, he, answering a question on career in politics, said that to attain success, sacrifices are imperative, and this truth applies universally, even to politicians.

"Opting for a career in politics presents a landscape filled with challenges. The realm of politics calls for professionals hailing from diverse backgrounds to contribute their expertise," he said.

On present day leadership qualities, KTR, as the minister is known popularly, said that leadership means learning every day.

"Successful politics is always about one thing. If you as a leader are able to offer the hope that people’s tomorrow is better than today, then you are going to survive, people are going to vote and you’ll come back. As they say, a leader is a dealer of hope," he added.

About his personal experience, KTR said that being born into a political family, he had the opportunity of participating in the grassroots activities, especially in the Telangana movement.

During his inaugural address, he shared Telangana's growth journey and recounted his governance experiences and the phenomenal success achieved by Telangana after the formation of the state, the initiatives that contributed to rural and urban development, Telangana development model, and other aspects.

KTR also spoke about Telangana turning into the most successful startup state, the innovation ecosystem created in the state, the leading industrial sectors, and the five revolutions ushered in agriculture and allied sectors.

He pointed out that the state’s Per Capita Income which was Rs 1.12 lakh in 2014, increased to Rs 3.17 lakh this year, which is the highest in the country. The GSDP of the state increased from Rs. 5.05 lakh crore in 2014 to Rs. 13.27 lakh crore this year. The minister mentioned that with innovative policies like TS-iPASS, more than 24,000 industrial clearances were given in the past eight years.

"More than 50 billion dollars investment was raised in the state and 24 lakh direct job potential was created," KTR added.

Presenting the staggering growth in the technology sector in Telangana, the minister said that out of 4.5 lakh technology jobs created in India last year, 1.5 lakh were from Hyderabad, which is 33 per cent. And this year, 44 per cent of total jobs created in India were from Telangana.

"In 2014, the total number of jobs in technology in Hyderabad were 3,23,000. As of March this year, it grew to 9,15,000. IT exports from Telangana were Rs 56,000 crore in 2014, which increased to Rs 2,41,000 crore this year,” KTR said.

Stating that the life sciences sector has been the strength of Hyderabad and the state, he said that 9 billion doses of vaccines are produced from Hyderabad, which makes it 33 per cent of global vaccine production. He asserted that by next year, the vaccine production will be 14 billion doses which is 50 per cent of world’s vaccine production.

The minister highlighted that while the whole world is talking about the swift construction model demonstrated by the Chinese, the world’s largest lift irrigation project, Kaleshwaram Project, in Telangana was completed in four years.

"This accomplishment is a testament to Telangana's commitment to progress and development," he said.