 "Showing potential investors that govt is delivering on promises: S Narsing Rao")
He resigned in May 2014, three years before the completion of his tenure, as chairman of Coal India when the chief minister of Telangana,K Chandrasekhara Rao, asked him to come to the new state as his principal secretary. S Narsing Rao, talks to B Dasarath Reddy on the 20-odd months since. Edited excerpts:
How has the journey of the new state and its government been?
Very interesting, despite many transition challenges such as division of staff and institutions that took a lot of time and energy. It was only at end-December 2014 that the Government of India was able to allot All India Service officers. We were charting an unknown path.
What were the top five goals set by the government in this period and what has it achieved?
The most immediate was to address the power shortage. It was so bad that those opposing the separate statehood said Telangana would then plunge into darkness. Things improved quickly, as the CM laid the highest focus on this sector. From November 1, 2014, there's been no power cut in cities and towns and an assured seven-hour daily supply has been given to the agriculture sector. For 20-odd years, there was no supply between 6 am and 8 pm in the villages but from April 1, 2015, uninterrupted single-phase power supply has been given to them. We now have plans for an additional 1,800 Mw of capacity.
The second priority was welfare of people who need government help. The amount of spending is large but the programmes were redesigned to suit our socio-economic conditions. The other three goals are providing piped water to every household by March 2019, irrigation facilities for the parched lands and the fifth goal is to transform the agriculture scenario. Work is afoot on all these.
How has economic growth been?
Fairly satisfactory. Unfortunately, agriculture had recorded a 10 per cent fall because of severe drought but we still recorded close to nine per cent growth in state gross domestic product last year. Agriculture is also facing a serious crisis in this financial year but services and industry are contributing substantially. We expect GSDP growth at over eight per cent.
Has the investment scenario improved?
The government had come up with a unique industrial policy, called TSiPass, where a statutory right has been conferred on potential investors for timely clearances. Approvals for about 250 proposals were accorded under this system.
The confidence of potential investors on Hyderabad and Telangana is fully back. You can cross-check with any industry whether there was a power cut from November 2014. This has had serious positive implications on the economy and industrial activity, beside convincing potential investors that here is a government which has delivered on its promise. We are expecting some mega investments very soon.
Jobs were a major issue which had driven young people into the separate statehood movement time and again in the past. Have they started getting the jobs?
Creation of jobs is a big necessity. The services sector has been the real generator. Action has also been initiated to fill 50,000 government sector jobs. Information technology (IT) and tourism continue to generate jobs. Real estate, too, has picked up well and the government had, only three-four days earlier, announced a slew of steps to rev up this sector, as it generates a large amount of economic activity and jobs.
Has growth returned to the city of Hyderabad, which had undergone a slowdown in real estate and hiring in IT?
We see clear signals in the past eight-nine months of growth in the real estate and IT sectors in Hyderabad. Plans to set up campuses by Amazon, Google, Sify and other national and international companies are a clear indication that Hyderabad has become a real growth engine for the service sector. Private equity players have been showing a lot of interest in Hyderabad-based hospital groups in recent times, another indication of the potential for growth.
The government has expedited the Godavari drinking water project and of Krishna Phase-3 to meet the city's drinking water needs, beside announcing a Rs 21,000-crore master plan for infrastructure. Much focus has also been given to development in other towns and cities as well.
Were you able to raise enough to fund the ambitious plans on roads, irrigation and other programmes?
This year, our revenue growth was 15 per cent. Roads have received the highest attention in the recent past, with Rs 16,500 crore of approvals. The government has tied up the resources required.
Could you point to one challenge before the government? How was your personal journey?
Bureaucracy is a challenge; you have to deliver fast and on quality governance. Execution is an ultimate test, where the bureaucracy has an enormous role. On my personal decision, I always liked being closer to the people. That is where my heart is. Contributing to the development of my state has been my objective.
How has the journey of the new state and its government been?
Very interesting, despite many transition challenges such as division of staff and institutions that took a lot of time and energy. It was only at end-December 2014 that the Government of India was able to allot All India Service officers. We were charting an unknown path.
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We're shortly going to complete our first full financial year in the new state. The chief minister, K Chandrasekhara Rao, has given a completely different orientation to governance and policies.
What were the top five goals set by the government in this period and what has it achieved?
The most immediate was to address the power shortage. It was so bad that those opposing the separate statehood said Telangana would then plunge into darkness. Things improved quickly, as the CM laid the highest focus on this sector. From November 1, 2014, there's been no power cut in cities and towns and an assured seven-hour daily supply has been given to the agriculture sector. For 20-odd years, there was no supply between 6 am and 8 pm in the villages but from April 1, 2015, uninterrupted single-phase power supply has been given to them. We now have plans for an additional 1,800 Mw of capacity.
The second priority was welfare of people who need government help. The amount of spending is large but the programmes were redesigned to suit our socio-economic conditions. The other three goals are providing piped water to every household by March 2019, irrigation facilities for the parched lands and the fifth goal is to transform the agriculture scenario. Work is afoot on all these.
How has economic growth been?
Fairly satisfactory. Unfortunately, agriculture had recorded a 10 per cent fall because of severe drought but we still recorded close to nine per cent growth in state gross domestic product last year. Agriculture is also facing a serious crisis in this financial year but services and industry are contributing substantially. We expect GSDP growth at over eight per cent.
Has the investment scenario improved?
The government had come up with a unique industrial policy, called TSiPass, where a statutory right has been conferred on potential investors for timely clearances. Approvals for about 250 proposals were accorded under this system.
The confidence of potential investors on Hyderabad and Telangana is fully back. You can cross-check with any industry whether there was a power cut from November 2014. This has had serious positive implications on the economy and industrial activity, beside convincing potential investors that here is a government which has delivered on its promise. We are expecting some mega investments very soon.
Jobs were a major issue which had driven young people into the separate statehood movement time and again in the past. Have they started getting the jobs?
Creation of jobs is a big necessity. The services sector has been the real generator. Action has also been initiated to fill 50,000 government sector jobs. Information technology (IT) and tourism continue to generate jobs. Real estate, too, has picked up well and the government had, only three-four days earlier, announced a slew of steps to rev up this sector, as it generates a large amount of economic activity and jobs.
Has growth returned to the city of Hyderabad, which had undergone a slowdown in real estate and hiring in IT?
We see clear signals in the past eight-nine months of growth in the real estate and IT sectors in Hyderabad. Plans to set up campuses by Amazon, Google, Sify and other national and international companies are a clear indication that Hyderabad has become a real growth engine for the service sector. Private equity players have been showing a lot of interest in Hyderabad-based hospital groups in recent times, another indication of the potential for growth.
The government has expedited the Godavari drinking water project and of Krishna Phase-3 to meet the city's drinking water needs, beside announcing a Rs 21,000-crore master plan for infrastructure. Much focus has also been given to development in other towns and cities as well.
Were you able to raise enough to fund the ambitious plans on roads, irrigation and other programmes?
This year, our revenue growth was 15 per cent. Roads have received the highest attention in the recent past, with Rs 16,500 crore of approvals. The government has tied up the resources required.
Could you point to one challenge before the government? How was your personal journey?
Bureaucracy is a challenge; you have to deliver fast and on quality governance. Execution is an ultimate test, where the bureaucracy has an enormous role. On my personal decision, I always liked being closer to the people. That is where my heart is. Contributing to the development of my state has been my objective.