TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has said that the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project would be completed within the coming rainy season and provide irrigation sources and water drinking water purposes in the State.

Gone the days when the earlier governments took several decades for the completion of the irrigation projects, he said and added that they had completed the KLIP within four years period and set a milestone in the country. Once KLIP is completed, the Karimnagar district would be turning into water hub with the available of water throughout the year in the river Manair and Godavari.

Kicking off the poll campaign for the Parliament elections from Karimnagar town on Sunday night, the Chief Minister said that the Power Finance Corporation coming forward to extend a loan of ₹ 30,000 crore was an indication of progress in the newly formed Telangana State. When the Telangana State was formed in 2014, the paddy production was 25 lakh tonnes and in the year 2018-19 it had reached 54 lakhs tonnes with the availability of 24 hour power supply to the farmers.

Leading state

Claiming that the Telangana was the only State in the country with highest consumption of power and providing 24x7 power to the farm sector, he asked whether any of the Congress and BJP ruled states were providing 24x7 power to the farmers. He claimed that the Telangana ranked number on several aspects, including income generation, social welfare schemes, Mission Bhagiratha and Kaleshwaram project, among others.

Finding fault with the Union government claim that the Centre was providing more funds to the Telangana State, he clarified that the Telangana State was providing ₹ 50,000 crore as taxes to the Centre. In turn, the Centre was providing only ₹ 24,000 crore, he noted. He ridiculed Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for abusing him for the last three months as he was scared of his defeat.

China far ahead

He also compared development of the country with the China and stated that the China was far ahead on all aspects. He said that China was having 23,000 kilometers express highways and the India was having only 2,000 kilometers. The goods transport speed was 80 kph in China and it was only 24 kph in the country, he said and added that the foreign cargo was 21,305 million tonnes in China and it was only 1,894 million tonnes in the country.

TRS working president K. Taraka Rama Rao, ministers Eatala Rajender, Koppula Eshwar, Errabelli Dayakar Rao, MPs B. Vinod Kumar, V. Laxmikantha Rao, Santosh Kumar, legislators and others were present.