Interview: Vision document for ‘Telangana Rising’ to have 500 actionable goals, explains Special CS Jayesh Ranjan

Hyderabad: An eight-chapter vision document of ‘Telangana Rising’ is scheduled to be released at the Telangana Global Summit on December 8 and 9 at Future City.

In a conversation with NewsMeter, Special Chief Secretary for Special Projects (SPEED) and Investment Cell, CMO, and Special Chief Secretary, Tourism, Culture & Sports, Government of Telangana, Jayesh Ranjan explains the 500 actionable goals in focus by the government for the economic and social development of the state.

The vision document — set for release on December 9 — has been prepared with the help of the Indian Business School. There was also a survey carried out for two weeks, where four lakh respondents gave their inputs.

Here are some excerpts from the interview:

NewsMeter: What is the primary focus of Telangana Global Summit?

Jayesh Ranjan: The Telangana Global Summit is going to release the vision document of Telangana till 2047. The eight chapters will address economic, social and sustainable development goals, which will be showcased to the state, national and global stakeholders.

Economic development will have three defined chapters with a focus on state-level growth to increase the GDP and per-capita income.

Through social development, we will ensure that all segments of society benefit from the economic growth through targeted activities. Health, nutrition and education will be given priority.

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is very clear that these development activities must be sustainable for the protection of our environment. Hence, this will be the key guiding factor in the vision goal.

NM: How was this idea conceived, and why is the focus on a $3 trillion economy?

Jayesh Ranjan: The state’s economic strategy is aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s projection that India will become a $30 trillion economy by 2047. India is currently a $3 trillion economy.

While Telangana currently contributes 5 per cent of India’s GDP (estimated to be around $200 billion based on current national figures), CM Revanth Reddy aims for the state to contribute 10 per cent of the national GDP by 2047.

Going by the target of $30 trillion, a 10 per cent contribution translates to a $3 trillion economy for Telangana by 2047.

NM: What are the steps for the state to reach a $3 trillion economy by 2047?

Jayesh Ranjan: This will be the roadmap that Telangana will follow.

- Reforms: Implementing necessary governmental and economic policy changes.

- Infrastructure: Developing and upgrading physical and digital infrastructure.

- Skills: Providing good-quality skills and vocational training to the workforce.

- Institutions: Creating strong and efficient economic and administrative institutions.

NM: For reaching a $3 trillion economy, what other sectors does the Telangana government plan to tap?

Jayesh Ranjan: The Telangana State government has identified key existing and emerging sectors that will play a crucial role in the targeted economic growth.

The vision document focuses on several layers of economic contributors. This includes:

- Established major contributors: Key industries currently driving the state’s economy, such as Pharma and IT, are expected to continue their strong contribution.

- Future-focused emerging sectors: Sectors that are not yet significant contributors, either nationally or within the state, but are projected to become highly important over the next 5, 10, or 15 years.

For example, take the focus on critical minerals. This coincides with a recent national financial package that highlights the focus on strategically valuable, nascent industries.

Another important aspect is broadening the economic base.

This strategy involves a comprehensive approach encompassing various economic factors. This includes:

- Promoting and supporting different types of large-scale industries.

- Recognising the significant potential of MSMEs (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises) and ensuring their contribution to the overall growth.

- Developing and leveraging the state’s tourism potential.

A major emphasis has also been placed on high-value global trade. This includes:

- Exports: Increasing the volume of exports from the state.

- Higher value exports: Shifting the focus toward exporting commodities and services with greater intrinsic value and higher returns.

- New sector advantage: Identifying and capitalising on new, specialised sectors where the state can gain a competitive advantage globally, even if they are not widely discussed currently.

NM: Will the growth be centralised around Hyderabad, or will it spread to other cities of Telangana too?

Jayesh Ranjan: The focus of growth will be decentralised. The geographical strategy will ensure that the economic growth is centralised not only around Hyderabad but also divides the state into distinct economic zones, each with a specialised role.

The three economic zones conceptualised by the CM Revanth Reddy are:

- Core Urban: Everything inside the ORR where services, industry and high-end infrastructure.

- Peri-urban: Everything between ORR and the upcoming Regional Ring Road, where modern manufacturing and industrial activities have been envisioned.

- Rural areas where agriculture, food processing and food cold storage.

The goal is to ensure optimum contribution from all zones and also ensure that the rural and peri-urban areas are paid proper attention.

NM: While this sounds good, how will it be implemented?

Jayesh Ranjan: For that reason, every government department that will be a part of the Telangana Global Summit will have an actionable goal. There are 500 actionable goals which are to be taken up immediately.

The recent order to shut down or move industries from Hyderabad is one such step. The land policy, which has been cleared by the State Cabinet, is also one such step towards achieving these goals.

At the same time, peri-urban and rural areas will see improvements such as:

- Development of necessary physical infrastructure (e.g., roads, power, water) in these zones.

- Training and education tailored to the specialised activities of each zone.

- Enhancement of quality of life by ensuring good civic amenities and living standards to attract and retain talent across the state.

NM: While Telangana releases this vision document, other South Indian states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka will also be competing for the best. What is the edge for TG?

Jayesh Ranjan: This is a crucial question that has been debated and is a part of the vision document: “Why will investment flow specifically to Telangana, and how will it stay ahead of competing states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka?”

The strategy is to make the state an attractive magnet for both domestic and international investments.

This includes:

- Implementing policy and bureaucratic changes to create an investor-friendly environment.

- Establishing high-quality institutions to support business, regulation and innovation.

- Outlining the steps needed to consistently stay ahead of regional competition.

NM: You mentioned that apart from economic development, there will also be social development. What will be its focus areas?

Jayesh Ranjan: Social development is on inclusive, equitable growth for improving the quality of life of all citizens. The Chief Minister has prioritised three specific demographic segments, dedicating one chapter to the goals and strategies for each:

- Economic empowerment of women by making one crore women crorepatis.

- Financial stability and improving agricultural excellence by doubling the income of farmers and ensuring that the crops grown in Telangana rank number three in the country in terms of productivity.

- Providing the best combination of hard and soft skills for the youth to make them job-ready and prepare them for entrepreneurship.

The focus on an overall social well-being will also include raising health standards, education standards and nutrition standards across the general population.

Similarly, social Inclusion will ensure balanced development and growth for all groups, particularly addressing the needs of minority groups and deprived groups.

NM: What is the target for sustainable development and the net-zero emissions goal? How will that be achieved?

Jayesh Ranjan: The chief minister’s objective is to ensure that all development occurs without harming the environment and that the state achieves net-zero emissions by 2047.

This target is significantly more aggressive than the national goal for India to achieve net-zero by 2070.

The sustainable development will detail the policies, projects and reforms required to make the state entirely carbon neutral, ensuring that every element of economic and social progress is environmentally sound and leads to a net-zero outcome.

NM: Will the Telangana Global Summit see the government signing MOUs with stakeholders?

Jayesh Ranjan: This summit is going to have experts, corporate houses, institutions, organisations and diplomats, where the focus is to align with the Telangana Rising vision. The goal is to explain the vision, its process and the roadmap to the stakeholders. It is an opportunity for discussion, suggestions, and taking in the good ideas which arise from it.

It is not an investment summit. If companies find the vision attractive and express interest in partnering or sign a Letter of Interest (LoI), the government will be happy to accept these commitments.

NM: Why is it being held in Future City?

Jayesh Ranjan: The decision to host the summit at the Future City venue was strategic and ideological; the location was chosen to embody the focus of the vision itself—the future.

The Chief Minister felt that holding the event in traditional venues (like the HICC or the Secretariat) represented ‘legacies’ while hosting the event in a new, future-oriented location sends a clear message about pointing to the future and creating something new.