KTR seeks `5K cr for projects
Industries minister K.T. Rama Rao requested Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman to allocate `5,000 crore for Telangana in the ensuing Union Budget to set up the projects that had been newly announced for the state.
The minister explained the projects being taken up by the state government and their potential to generate lakhs of jobs. Rama Rao said the world’s largest pharmaceutical cluster was being developed by the state government.
“The project has received final approval for National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) status from the (Union) department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT). In various meetings in the department, Hyderabad Pharma City has been recognised as a project of national importance,” Rama Rao said.
He said the state government had constituted Hyderabad Pharma City Limited and initiated the implementation of Phase-1 in sub-phases. “The project has received overwhelming response from both domestic and global companies. Overall investment potential is estimated to be around `64,000 crore with a capacity of generation of 5.6 lakh jobs direct and indirect,” the minister said.
He asked the Union finance minister to consider extending financial support to the project; the detailed project report and a financial feasibility report had been submitted to the Centre.
Rama Rao also sought funding for the first National Design Centre (NDC) in Hyderabad. “The government is not setting up a greenfield campus for NDC, instead, we are planning to take up some space in the existing building of National Academy of Construction,” he said.
MINISTER K.T. Rama Rao told Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman that the new projects announced by the state government could generate employment for lakhs of people, and needed financial support.
Minister K.T. Rama Rao sought support for the initial capital expenditure, mainly towards making the Natonal Design Centre functional.
Rama Rao said the Centre must consider including the Hyderabad-Warangal and Hyderabad-Nagpur industrial corridors in the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT) and consider funding for two nodes — Hyderabad Pharma City (HPC) and National Industrial Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ), Zaheerabad. According to him, the special purpose vehicles (SPVs) for both the nodes are in place and land had been acquired. The estimated project cost for these two nodes is about `3,000 crore and `2,000 crore respectively, Rama Rao said. He sought at least `2,000 crore for each of the nodes. He said the Budget 2018-19 had proposed setting up two defence production corridors.