4 ISSUES Telangana state will need to solve first

The Telangana statehood dream may just have turned real, but it still has a long way to go in terms of finding its footing as a state.

To begin with, forming a new state will be no easy task. And when that hurdle is crossed eventually, the first Telangana government would have to set right a lot many issues.

Among them are four major issues that will need to be addressed immediately.

For the past six decades, these issues have been the premise of the statehood agitation. 

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Water

Telangana has two major rivers -- Krishna and Godavari.

68.5 per cent catchment area of the Krishna river and 60 per cent of Godavari lie in Telangana.

However, people of this region have always complained that a major share of the water from these rivers is pumped into Rayalseema leading to shortage of water for irrigation in the Telangana belt.

The people say that if a major share is provided to Telangana, every village can be assured of drinking water and irrigation facilities

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Education

Despite Hyderabad being a hub for education, the people of Telangana feel that they have been given a raw deal.

Late Professor Jayashankar, who was the vice chancellor of the Kakatiya University, had in a paper stated that it was assured at the time Andhra Pradesh was formed that the levels of disparity in the field of education would be removed entirely.

However, even today, the literacy rate in Telangana continues to be the lowest.

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Industrial growth

While Hyderabad has boomed with development, the same cannot be said about the rest of Telangana.

People argue that there is not a single industry that has been set up by the Andhra Pradesh government in the districts of Telangana.

The focus has been more towards Kadapa, Vishakapatanam, Vijaywada and Nellore.

There were many industries that were set up during the period of the Nizam, but over the years, people allege, successive governments closed all of them down one by one.

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Jobs

There are 15 lakh jobs in the government and government-controlled sectors in Telangana.

Ideally, 40 per cent or 6 lakh jobs should have gone to the people of Telangana.

However, in reality, just 3 lakh jobs have been provided.

Even in the state secretariat, out of the 5000 employees only 120 are from Telangana.

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