CHIEF MINISTER'S OFFICE

GOVERNMENT OF TELANGANA
Dt.22.08.2014.

HONBLE CHIEF MINISTERS SPEECH AT IIMPACT IN

SINGAPORE
Distinguished dignitaries, ladies and gentlemen,
It is a matter of great honour for me to stand before you as the first Chief
Minister of Telangana the newest State of India. I am indeed very
thankful to the organizers of IIM-PACT for inviting me here and giving
me an opportunity to speak about the opportunities in my State that are
available to investors.
I arrived in Singapore two days ago, and in the last two days I have
visited many significant projects in the country and have participated in
many important meetings. The growth story of Singapore is truly
remarkable. I am aware that till about 60 years ago Singapore was like
any other developing third world country. But the progress it has
achieved through strong leadership, visionary policies and collective
participation of the people is very inspiring.
After witnessing the best of Singapore, I have no doubt in my mind that
the new State of Telangana can also be developed on similar lines.
Telangana is the result of decades long struggle of people protesting
against discrimination and injustice. The new State of Telangana has a
lot of catching up to do to fulfil the ambitions of its people. The same

zeal and tenacity withwhich the State was achieved will be channeled
into the development of the State.
I am aware that industrialization holds the key for fostering economic
growth, creating employment and ushering in prosperity to the people.
Industrialization holds the potential for fulfilling the dreams and
aspirations of the people of Telangana. My Government has accordingly
decided to bring in a new Industrial Policy which will inspire both
international and domestic industry groups, investors and entrepreneurs
to choose Telangana as their destination of first choice.
The cornerstone of our industrial policy is zero-corruption and zero
tolerance to corruption. I personally promise a graft-free and hassle-free
industrial regime which will be rated as amongst the best in the world. I
am sure this will resonate with all of you here.
With the new Land Acquisition Act in India, acquiring private lands in
India has become very difficult now and this is a disadvantage that will
be encountered by most other States in India. Large scale
industrialization in my opinion is now possible only in those States
where Government has clear title lands in its possession for industrial
purposes. We in Telangana are truly lucky that we have ample lands
throughout the State for industry. Telangana State was previously ruled
by the AsafJahi Dynasty--the world famous Nizams of Hyderabad and
their able Prime Ministersthe Salar Jungs. The Nizam endowed the
State with large extents of land. The State of Telangana is an indirect
beneficiary of that endowment. We have identified over three hundred
thousand acres of Government land where we are going to develop high
quality infrastructure and convert them into modern Industrial Parks.
Telangana is a compact state, connected radially by excellent 4-6 lane

highways and most of the industrial parks that we will develop will all
be within 100 KMs around Hyderabad City. Like Singapore leveraged
its advantageous sea port location, Telangana will leverage its land bank
for industrial growth. The lands not fit for industry will be used to
generate solar power. Every inch of land will be put to productive
use.The goal of the State will be to create a plug and play facility for
industry.
Most Indian States have a number tedious procedures and processes that
an industrialist has to go through before setting up a unit. I am
personally aware of the hardships industrialists and investors face in
running around various Government offices for simple clearances. I
want to change this system completely in the State of Telangana. I can
assure you that all industries will now be given the required permissions
and clearances through a very effective Automatic Approval System,
which will be a step ahead of the traditional single window system. I
will personally monitor this approval process through a Chasing Cell in
my office. A complete set of applications can be downloaded from our
website. When your final investment decision is confirmed, the
investors will be received at the airport by the Government Protocol
Officer and brought straight to my office. I will personally interact with
the industrialist and collect his completed applications and the detailed
project report. The Chasing Cell in my office will ensure that within a
week all the application papers are scrutinized and final approval
accorded. We will also encourage a self-certification system, and all
permissions and approvals would be accorded based on the selfcertification given. Once the final approval is ready, the investor will be
invited back and the set of clearances will be given to him personally by
me. No other State in India today follows such an efficient, fast track
and transparent system. I am confident that this model of Automatic

Approvals will be showcased as an example of a best practice for the

ease of doing business in future.
I must mention here that both the industrial land zoning policy and the
Automatic Approval Process will be enacted in the legislature so that
they have strong legal backing.
My Government is conscious that industries also depend upon the
Government for provision of infrastructure facilities particularly water
and power. Government has taken a decision recently that all existing
and future irrigation projects in the State should earmark 10% of the
water exclusively for industrial purposes. Our calculations show that
this should be sufficient to provide assured water supply to all the
existing and new Industrial Parks. Power is another critical requirement.
In the next three years, the new State of Telangana will become selfsufficient in power generation. In the meantime, we have taken steps to
ensure that power required by industry is met through the facility of
open access power purchase from the power exchange. Nonconventional energy, particularly solar power, will also be an important
component in our power supply arrangements. In fact, some of the lands
that we are earmarking for industries can also be utilized for setting up
solar power generation units. Entrepreneurs present in the room can also
see this as a promising business opportunity in the State of Telangana.
To attract industrial investment in the State, all the States in India give
various kinds of incentives, mostly in the form of tax rebates and power
tariff concessions. I have studied the incentives that are offered by our
neighbouring States. Government will come up with a package of
incentives that will be much better than what is on offer now by other
States in India. We have identified a number of core sectors in which

industrial investments will be treated on priority. These include

biotechnology and life sciences, IT hardware including bio medical
devices, aerospace and defence sector, automobiles, chemicals and
plastics, textiles, green technology, mineral based industries and
transportation and logistics hubs. We welcome any investment proposal
received from these sectors. We are in the process of developing sector
specific Industrial Parks for all these sectors at appropriate locations
having all the required infrastructure facilities. I am confident that with
developed Industrial Parks, a good package of incentives and the best
single window system that exists anywhere in India, Telangana will
become the most preferred investment destination.
Despite being a new State, there are some significant advantages that the
State of Telangana has. Our capital city Hyderabad is now rated on par
with the top Metropolises in the country, and in certain respects, even
with the best international cities. Hyderabad is the home to a thriving
IT, biotechnology and pharma industry. We are home to Genome Valley,
the first of its kind and only biotechnology park in India. Some of the
top names among the Fortune 500 Pharma and Vaccine Companies are
located here. Close to 20% of global vaccine production takes places in
Hyderabad. One third of Indias pharma production is in Hyderabad.
The aero-space park in Hyderabad will be the only facility in India to
begin manufacturing complete aircrafts for Dornier. Hyderabad is also
the home to a large number of R&D and other knowledge based
institutions. Telangana has a very strong agriculture and agro related
activity base. More than one third of Indias poultry industry is located
in our State. Telangana is also the largest producer of long staple cotton
in India. Telangana is a leader in the production of maize, rice and
turmeric. My state is the seed capital of India. Seeds produced in
Telangana are exported to African and Asian countries. Telangana has a

wide variety of soils suitable for many staple and commercial crops.
Because of this unique situation, the International Crop Research Station
forthe Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is located just outside Hyderabad.
The State of Telangana is ideally suited for exotic fruits and vegetables
and other greenhouse agro-products. The forests in Singapore are mostly
man-made. Telangana has 26% natural forest coverage and the
Government has put in place a serious plan to increase this coverage to
33%. To raise the saplings required, 4000 nurseries are being developed.
Hyderabad has a history of more than 400 years. It has a rich cultural
heritage with monuments like the Golconda Fort, the Charminar, the
1000 Pillar Ramappa Temple and traditional handicrafts like Warangal
brassware, Nirmal paintings, etched Bidriware and AdilabadDokra
figurines. It offers many historical and recreational tourism
opportunities. Hyderabad is centrally located in the country and enjoys a
wonderful climate all around the year. The rainfall is between 900 to
1000 mm annually. It is in a very stable seismologic zone and this is the
reason that a large number of defence research organizations and the
nuclear fuel complex are located in and around Hyderabad.The data
disaster recovery and management facilities of a number of IT
companies are located in Hyderabad. It has a consistently award winning
international standard airport to the south of Hyderabad, with another
proposed to the north. Hyderabad is also a health hub and medical
tourism center for the country with patients coming from Africa, Middle
East and even USA for treatment in Hyderabad hospitals. Hyderabad is
also a popular destination for international conferences, having hosted
the World Bio-Diversity Conference, the Conference of People (COP 11)
in October 2013. The World Metropolis Conference of Cities will be
held in Hyderabad in October.

Telangana has 24 universities in the state, covering almost every district.

These include traditional, technical, agriculture, veterinary and
linguistic. Our state is the only state in the country to have a Forest
Sciences University, which will start its academic sessions soon. For the
technical students our goal is to make sure that every technical student,
graduate, diploma or certificate, undergoes practical training with
industry before he is allowed to graduate. I strongly believe that this
industry-institution partnership to impart practical and employable skills
to technical students will be a win-win situation. The Government will
support and partner with industry and other training professionals to
make technical education more skill oriented.
It is expected that the population of Hyderabad will grow from the
present 12 million to 20 million in the next 5 years. An international
standard master plan is being prepared to meet the challenges of this
growth. This urban growth offers huge opportunities for infrastructure
companies as well as those interested in smart city concepts. Other cities
like Warangal and Karimnagar will also be developed.
Hyderabad, the capital city of Telangana State, has emerged as the
premier destination for IT Companies. Hyderabad is the second largest
exporter of IT products in India with about Rs. 67000 crores of exports.
The Government of India scheme of Information Technology Investment
Region (ITIR) is coming up in Hyderabad. Over a period of time,
Government of India is expected to invest Rs. 10,000 crores in the ITIR.
We are proud of what we have achieved and where we are right now.
However, we cannot simply rest on our past laurels. While writing code,
BPO and call centres are important revenue generators in themselves for
the IT Industry, product development and innovation are more
important. The future I see for the IT Industry in Hyderabad is one

which focuses on the creation of IT products, services and interactive

experiences that define new opportunities in the global markets. Our IT
professionals should have the skills and knowledge to become
accomplished practitioners and leaders of the product development
process and emerge as elite innovators. This can only be achieved with
the participation of the Industry and Professional Educational
Institutions in Government effort and I solicit your cooperation.
My vision for Hyderabad is not simply that of a digital city where the
focus is mainly on Information Technology and Communications. My
vision is that of a smart city, where the Government will make
investments in human and social capital, investments in traditional urban
infrastructure like transport, water supply and roads, and modern
infrastructure like information technology systems and communication
networks, entertainment and leisure. These investments will fuel
sustainable economic development and provide a high quality of life for
the people of Hyderabad from all socio-economic backgrounds.
Hyderabad will become the most livable city in India.Hyderabad and
other urban centres of Telangana will be the drivers of economic growth
while information technology will be the tool which will transform
governance in my State into a people-friendly, corruption free
interaction. I firmly believe that a wise leader will create an environment
where every citizen has an equal opportunity to progress according to
their merit.There will not be any discrimination based on caste, gender
or religion.
My goal is to create a brand for Hyderabad and Telanganaa Brand
Hyderabad and Brand Telangana that will be recognized, appreciated
and applauded all over the worldbe it in urban infrastructure,

Information Technology, Industry or the quality of life of the ordinary

man.
The safety of the people of Hyderabad and Telangana are very important
for me. Law and order and the security in the State, especially
Hyderabad has been my focus from the time I became the Chief
Minister. The Government has recently approved an additional budget of
Rs. 350 crores ($60 million) to strengthen security. The environs of the
city of Hyderabad will be monitored by 100,000 CCTVs, 10,000 of
which are already in place. The policing will be of world class standard
with an ultra-modern police control room.
Many of you sitting in this room are entrepreneurs. I am sure that when
you passed out from the IIMs, most of you joined a Company and
worked there for some years. But after some time you felt like starting
your own enterprise and left your parent company. Today you do not
want to rest till your own enterprise becomes even bigger and better than
the parent Company where you originally worked for. The story of the
new State of Telangana is going to be the same. We will not rest until
our trajectory of growth surpasses even the best known States in India
we will be bigger and better than the rest. This is the vision for the new
State of Telangana. I want all of you to become stakeholders in giving
shape to this vision through your partnership with the Government of
Telangana.
I am deeply overwhelmed by your warm wishes and hospitality. Our
relationship cannot end here after this session. This has to be just a
beginning of a long and fruitful relationship and partnership. I invite all
of you to visit Telangana and continue this conversation and convert
ideas into concrete actions. My officials, Sri K. Pradeep Chandra,

Special Chief Secretary, Industries and Commerce Department; Sri

JayeshRanjan, VC and MD of the Telangana State Industrial
Infrastructure Corporation; and Sri Harpreet Singh, Secretary
Information Technology are here with me and they will answer any
questions that you may have.
Once again I thank IIM-PACT for inviting me and giving me this
opportunity.