Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy strongly defended the state government’s flagship HYDRA initiative, saying it was established to protect lakes, tanks and water bodies from encroachments by influential individuals.
Speaking at an interaction session, the Chief Minister said encroachments by poor people could be understood in certain circumstances, but illegal occupation of vital water resources by powerful sections could not be tolerated. He noted that HYDRA, headed by a senior IPS officer, has emerged as a strong deterrent against such encroachments.
Revanth Reddy also highlighted the government’s anti-drug campaign, stating that the EAGLE Force was created to eliminate the drug menace among students and youth. He described it as one of the country’s most effective anti-narcotics forces.
On education reforms, the Chief Minister said the government is establishing Young India Integrated Schools to promote social harmony by bringing together students from all communities. He argued that separate residential institutions for different social groups had unintentionally reinforced divisions.
Emphasising the importance of early childhood education, he announced the introduction of pre-schools in government institutions. Telangana has nearly 27,000 government schools with 18 lakh students, while 12,000 private schools cater to around 35 lakh students. He said the absence of pre-school facilities and transport services had pushed many parents towards private schools. The government is now providing transportation, breakfast and midday meals, while teachers are being sent abroad, including to Singapore, for advanced training.
On social justice, Revanth Reddy said Telangana implemented Scheduled Caste categorisation following the Supreme Court verdict and conducted a caste census, arguing that welfare measures for backward communities require reliable caste data.
The Chief Minister also announced efforts to restructure nearly ₹2 lakh crore of state debt by converting high-interest short-term loans into long-term borrowings at lower interest rates. He credited improved GST collections to plugging leakages and curbing corruption without imposing additional taxes.
Taking aim at the Centre, he alleged discrimination against Telangana in investment approvals. He opposed linking women’s reservation to parliamentary delimitation, warning that it would disproportionately benefit northern states. Revanth Reddy asserted that southern states should not be penalised for their development and population control achievements, while urging the Centre to avoid widening the North-South divide.
