10 Years Of Telangana: Sorry AP!

It’s been a decade since the Telangana state has been carved out. While Telangana progressed on several counts, the truncated state of Andhra Pradesh is struggling in all aspects. On one hand, Telangana is a revenue-surplus state, AP is a cash-strapped, debt-laden and deficit-budget state.

Telangana’s Hyderabad propelled its growth and witnessed 360-degree development. Whereas, AP still has no permanent capital. While AP’s first CM Chandrababu Naidu announced Amaravati as the capital, subsequently, gloom descended after Naidu lost power to Jagan’s YSRCP in 2019. Jagan announced 3 capitals and it sabotaged development around Amaravati and also hit legal tussle leading to a lot of confusion surrounding the state capital.

Telangana’s agriculture witnessed growth with KCR’s two-term focus on Irrigation projects, power supply and aid to farmers. Welfare schemes like Rythu Bandhu, reforms like Dharani have turned the landscape of Telangana’s agricultural sector. This in turn fuelled the growth of the real-estate in the newly carved out state with Hyderabad as epicentre.

Whereas, AP’s progress only saw a downward spiral. It just fell and fell with the political one-upmanship, caste politics, revenge politics (arrest of political opponents), verbal attacks and cancellation, reversal of several key policy decisions of previous governments including PPA (Power Purchase Agreements) that affected the investors confidence. Multi National Companies like Amar Raja have shifted their new investments to Telangana.

Lack of jobs, lack of investments, lack of business opportunities forced a large migration to Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. This in turn boosted the revenues of these neighbouring states and also the respective real estate market, rental properties and other allied businesses such as restaurants, hotels, small-scale businesses.

After 10 years, Common capital Hyderabad officially belongs to Telangana as per the AP Reorganisation Act 2014. However, Andhra Pradesh is yet to build its new capital and yet to complete Polavaram Irrigation Projects and so many institutions are yet to be set up and so many businesses, investments and companies are yet to come in. A look at the past 10 years, shed light on how one can turn a state into progressive state, and at the same time, how one can also spoil their own chances in addition to the existing limitations.