Hyderabad: Transport and BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar demanded full cooperation from the Centre for Telangana development and accused the Union government of obstructing the state’s efforts to attract investment.
Ponnam said development of every state was essential to achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a “Viksit Bharat.” He said Telangana was pursuing the “Telangana Rising 2047” plan as part of its long-term development strategy.
The Minister made the remarks at a press conference in Akkannapet during the “Palle Palleku Ponnam Anna – Palle Pallelo Praja Palana” programme. Ponnam criticised the Centre over the denial of permissions for the Chief Minister’s proposed foreign visits. He alleged that such decisions reflected an authoritarian approach.
Telangana development needs Centre’s cooperation: Ponnam
Ponnam said the Chief Minister’s foreign visits were intended to attract investment and showcase Telangana’s capabilities on international platforms. Therefore, he said denying permission for such visits adversely affected efforts aimed at Telangana development.
The Minister also criticised state BJP leaders over pending infrastructure, projects and funds. He alleged that BJP leaders had failed to secure the Metro Rail, Outer Ring Road, projects and funds due to Telangana from the Centre.
“Do BJP leaders not have the courage to question the Centre for the interests of the state?” Ponnam asked. He urged BJP leaders to demonstrate their unity by securing funds and projects from the Union government for Telangana.
According to Ponnam, cooperation between the Centre and states remained essential for achieving broader national development goals. He maintained that the goal of a developed India could succeed only when individual states also progressed.
Village programme focuses on Telangana development
Ponnam also outlined the objectives of the “Palle Palleku Praja Palana” initiative in the Husnabad Assembly constituency. He said the programme was launched to directly understand people’s problems across all 183 villages in the constituency.
The initiative also aimed to resolve grievances at the field level wherever possible, he said. Ponnam said he was visiting five to six villages every day as part of the programme.
During these visits, residents raised issues involving agriculture, employment, electricity and roads. People also presented grievances concerning drinking water, pensions and Indiramma houses, the Minister said.
Ponnam said he collected public feedback on these issues and spoke with officials to initiate immediate action. The programme was intended to take governance closer to households while identifying unresolved problems directly in villages.
He said the field visits allowed elected representatives and officials to understand local requirements instead of relying only on complaints received through government offices. The Minister maintained that Telangana development required both effective delivery at the village level and adequate support from the Centre for major projects, investment and infrastructure.