Hyderabad: “Don’t just take up a job—step into history.” That was the call Irrigation Minister Capt N. Uttam Kumar Reddy gave to over 400 fresh recruits at Jala Soudha on Wednesday.
Speaking to the 244 Assistant Executive Engineers and 199 Junior Technical Officers newly inducted into the Irrigation Department, Uttam Kumar Reddy asked them to think beyond routine duties. He told them to dream big—of becoming the next Visvesvaraya or Nawab Jung.
The Minister reminded the officers that Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, the only engineer to be honoured with a Bharat Ratna, designed Hyderabad’s flood protection a century ago by building Osmansagar and Himayatsagar. Nawab Mehdi Nawaz Jung, he said, laid the early groundwork for Nizam Sagar and Nagarjuna Sagar—projects that still define Telangana’s irrigation map.
“Those weren’t just engineers. They were visionaries. And they came from right here. Now it’s your turn,” Uttam Kumar Reddy told the recruits.
He called their recruitment not just a personal milestone, but a moment of pride for the state’s irrigation mission. Telangana’s irrigation workforce, he said, already includes around 12,000 people, of which 4,000 are engineers. With massive expansion underway, he said the new batch must play a critical role.
The state’s current goal? Take total irrigation coverage from 100 lakh acres to 127 lakh—adding five lakh acres a year through major, medium, minor, and lift irrigation projects. “That’s your mandate now,” he told the recruits.
He tied irrigation not just to farming, but to drinking water access in drought-prone regions. The department, he said, is undergoing restructuring under the Congress government to push efficiency and innovation.
He didn’t mince words about the stakes. “You’ve got 30 years ahead of you. One of you should aim to be remembered like Visvesvaraya or Nawab Jung. Telangana needs brilliance again. This is your shot.”
Uttam Kumar Reddy ended the address promising full support from the government to develop their skills and back their efforts in building a water-secure future for Telangana.
Today, I spoke at the event to distribute appointment letters to Assistant Engineers and Junior Technical Officers by Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri @revanth_anumula at Jala Soudha. pic.twitter.com/d9kOihxKbM
— Uttam Kumar Reddy (@UttamINC) May 14, 2025
