On Monday, IT Minister K Taraka Rama Rao handed over a cash cheque to transgenders in Sircilla. However, during the same event, he also congratulated the sarpanchs of 27 Gram Panchayats in the district for winning the first three positions in nine categories as part of the National Panchayat Award-2023 programme. Rama Rao noted that Telangana villages are setting an example for the country with the rural development programme initiated by CM KCR, which is the first of its kind in the 75 years of independent Indian history.
The Minister went on to say that Telangana State is a role model for the country in terms of rural development. He attributed this success to Palle Pragathi, which has resulted in better sanitation management, planting of plants, and separation of wet and dry garbage. Rama Rao emphasized that the good results are only possible due to the joint efforts of Sarpanchs and officials.
Despite some contradictions between the Centre and Telangana, Rama Rao claimed that the Centre had to admit that Telangana has the best rural areas. He cited an example of how if the central government announced 20 best gram panchayats at the national level, 19 panchayats would belong to Telangana state. The Minister also announced that Rs 1,300 crore due under Rural Development and CDP grants to Gram Panchayats will be released by the end of March.
However, Rama Rao alleged that the Central government was not paying dues of Rs 1,200 crore due to Telangana under the employment guarantee scheme. He added that the allocations are reduced every year. Overall, Rama Rao’s speech highlighted Telangana’s success in rural development and his commitment to ensuring that funds owed to the state are released.
