Telangana targets USD 3 trillion economy, mining reforms boost revenue: Vivek Venkatswamy
Hyderabad: Telangana has set an ambitious goal of building a USD 3 trillion economy, with Telangana mining reforms expected to play a decisive role, Labour and Mines Minister G. Vivek Venkatswamy said on Friday. He said the state government had already recorded a 22 per cent rise in mining revenues after introducing reform-driven measures in the sector.
Addressing the Rashtriya Khanij Chintan Shivir-2026, the minister said Telangana currently contributed about 2.4 per cent to the national GDP and was working to raise this share to 5 per cent. He said the Mines and Geology Department was strengthening governance and revenue systems to support long-term economic growth through Telangana mining reforms.
Dr Vivek Venkatswamy said the state had committed itself to the principle of zero tolerance by enforcing Zero Illegal Mining, Zero Illegal Transport and Zero Overloading. He added that while these steps had created short-term operational pressure, they would ensure sustainable outcomes in the future.
The minister also said Telangana had moved away from the earlier first-come, first-served policy and adopted an auction-based system for sand, minor minerals and major minerals. This shift, he said, improved price discovery and accountability while safeguarding public resources.
Technology-driven Telangana mining reforms to curb violations
Highlighting enforcement measures, Dr Vivek Venkatswamy said illegal mining remained a serious challenge despite reforms. He said the government had deployed GPS-based vehicle tracking, drone surveillance and satellite mapping to detect violations and prevent overloading of mineral transport vehicles across the state.
The minister proposed studying and implementing Artificial Intelligence applications to further strengthen Telangana mining reforms. He said advanced analytics could help prevent illegal activities and improve efficiency in mineral administration. “Our objective is to ensure the mining sector makes a substantial contribution to the state budget in the coming years,” he said.
Dr Vivek Venkatswamy thanked Union Minister for Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy for organising the conference at the Mahatma Mandir Convention & Exhibition Centre. He said the Centre’s focus on minerals reflected their growing role in national economic development.
Emphasising the broader context, the minister said strengthening the mining sector would benefit both Telangana and the Centre. He added that with rising global competition for minerals, India must position itself as a leader in mineral-driven economic transformation through sustained Telangana mining reforms.