Telangana: RTI reveals TS-iPASS brought 17.82 lakh jobs not 22.5L

Hyderabad: According to a recent RTI filed by the Hyderabad-based non-profit organisation, Forum for Good Governance, the number of jobs created by investments brought through TS-iPASS roughly amounts to 17.82 lakhs. This is lower than the 22.5 lakh jobs that Minister KTR had announced earlier in a press meeting, celebrating the success of the TS-iPASS initiative.

On January 2 this year, the minister for IT and industries KT Rama Rao claimed that Telangana had attracted Rs 3.3 lakh crores in investment through TS-iPASS, resulting in the creation of over 22.5 lakh jobs.

However, M Padmanabha Reddy, president of Forum for Good Governance has expressed doubts about the figures presented by the minister. To verify the accuracy of the claims, the organisation filed an RTI application and obtained information from the commissioner of industries.

“According to the data received, by the end of December 2022, a total of 23,322 industries had received clearance through TS-iPASS, with a likely investment of Rs 2.67 lakh crores and a proposal to create 17.82 lakh jobs,” said Padmanabha Reddy.

The commissioner clarified that exact figures for the total investment made and jobs created were not available, and in most cases, only rough estimates were available.

“It appears the Industries Department is counting the chickens before the eggs are hatched. There is a wide variation between what the minister stated in press briefings and what the commissioner has provided,” Padmanabha Reddy said.

Padmanabha said that scrutiny into the industries that applied under TS-iPASS and the permissions given reveals interesting issues.

While mentioning companies such as GK Welding, Jai Hanuman Welding, Shiva Welding, Iqbal Flour Mill, Mairum Bee Flour Mill, Namireddy Flour Mill, Shivani Welding, Shakti Ice Cream Factory, Laxmi Engineering, Maheshwar Reddy and Stone Crusher, he said, “Most of the so-called industries mentioned are flour mills, welding units, small engineering works, brickworks, stone crushers etc. These sundry activities do not need any elaborate clearances. I have reason to believe that to boost up the figure of industries cleared under TS-iPASS all the sundry activities are included.”

“The major industries which the TS-iPASS has cleared already exist like Metro Rail, GMR International Airport, Indian Oil Corporation etc. The industries which have come to Telangana because of the simplified procedure of TS-iPASS are Ramagundam fertilisers, Yadadri Thermal Plant, Badradri Thermal Plants, Barath Dynamics etc,” said Padmanabha Reddy.

He added, “Furthermore, the list of industries cleared by TS-iPASS includes entities connected to real estate, such as Aparna Housing, Phonix Constructions, Myhome Constructions etc. They deal with Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) and TS-iPASS has no role to play in their approval.”

The Forum for Good Governance has appealed to the principal secretary, of Industries, Jayesh Ranjan, to review the list and provide accurate information to the public through the media regarding the actual number of industries that have invested and the employment opportunities genuinely created since the formation of Telangana.