Telangana on threshold of extraordinary transformation: Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla

“Telangana stands at the threshold of an extraordinary transformation and the government is taking steps to build a State that is a leader in innovation, a haven for vulnerable and a model for the world,” Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla said.

Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla said he is laying a roadmap for the State’s accelerated development and asserted that the roadmap is not just a collection of schemes but a testament to the Government’s ambition. “It is about shaping a stronger, more resilient Telangana. It is a roadmap for progress, a commitment to justice and a promise to every citizen that their aspirations matter,” he said.

Mr. Shukla delivered his first address to the joint sitting of the legislature marking the commencement of Budget session on Monday (March 16, 2026). He was welcomed by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Speaker G. Prasad Kumar and Council chairman G. Sukhender Reddy on his arrival and the Governor inaugurated the statue of Telangana Talli and renovated Legislative Council building before proceeding to the Assembly.

In his more than one hour address, Mr. Shukla outlined various initiatives of the Congress government and asserted that the State would compete with developed global cities and countries in its pursuit to achieve $3 trillion economy by 2047. “The vision is clear, the direction is set and the momentum is unstoppable,” he said amid slogan shouting by the Opposition BRS members.

He explained in detail about the Telangana Rising Vision envisaging the State’s movement beyond incremental growth to chart a trajectory of exponential economic expansion.

The State’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) for 2025-26 reached ₹17.82 lakh crore with an impressive 10.7% growth contributing 4.99% of the country’s GSDP. The Per Capita Income reached ₹4.18 lakh and at the same time, the government contained inflation at 0.2%. The government took several focussed measures to strengthen the economy resulting in improvement of agriculture productivity through farmer-focussed initiatives and irrigation support. Steps were taken at the same time to encourage industrial growth and improved ease of doing business.

The Governor elaborated on the CURE, PURE and RARE economic models adopted by the government as well as restructuring of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) into three different corporations. He said, “The measure would strengthen democratic decentralisation by bringing urban governance closer to people in the true spirit of 74th amendment.”

“The government also intends to put in place a statutory framework by enacting the CURE Act which will replace the GHMC Act bringing multiple agencies such as HMWS&SB and HYDRAA under a unified framework,” he said adding a decision was taken under the Hyderabad Industrial Lands Transformation (HILT) policy to rid the CURE area of polluting industries.

Explaining how the HYDRAA reclaimed 1,045 acres of urban assets such as public land and waterbodies valued at ₹60,000 crore, he said steps had been initiated to revitalise the city’s ecological corridor through Musi Riverfront Transformation Project aimed at providing drinking water to CURE area and supply of treated water to data centres and other industrial use. He also mentioned about the efforts to make Kodangal, the Chief Minister’s native constituency, as multi-product industrial park.

The government’s prime focus was to enhance connectivity and improve mobility between the Outer Ring Road and the upcoming Regional Ring Road through radial roads to facilitate smoother traffic movement and support the growing economic activity of the region. A greenfield Hyderabad-Amaravati expressway passing through Future City had been taken up to strengthen regional connectivity and faster movement of people and goods while steps were initiated to develop Shamshabad as a hub for bullet trains following the Centre’s announcement of three high speed trains.

Sector wise, the Governor explained about the achievement of record 236.87 lakh metric tonne food grain production and procurement of 71.86 lakh metric tonne paddy from farmers which entailed a bonus of ₹500 per quintal for sanna biyyam (fine rice). He also explained about the spree of welfare measures such as issue of new ration cards to eligible families and the steps taken for empowerment of women by the present government such as Mahalakshmi for free bus travel and Gruha Lakshmi 200 units power free of charge to below poverty lines families. “This will help achieve the objective of one crore women being made crorepatis Koti Mahila Kotiswarulu,” he said.