K.T. Rama Rao, Working President of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).
K.T. Rama Rao, Working President of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and former Minister for IT & Industries, has raised alarms regarding a significant decline in IT and ITES exports from Telangana, along with a drop in job creation within the sector.
In a recent statement, Rama Rao highlighted that the state’s IT exports plummeted to ₹26,948 crore for the fiscal year 2023-24, starkly contrasting with ₹57,706 crore in the previous year. He expressed that this downward trend poses a serious threat to Telangana’s economic growth, urging the state government to bolster support for the IT industry. Furthermore, he noted a dramatic decrease in job creation, where only 40,285 new IT jobs were generated in 2023-24 compared to 1,27,594 in 2022-23.
Over the past six to seven years, the BRS government implemented various initiatives to enhance the IT sector, including the single-window system, TS-iPASS, and dedicated policies for IT. Hyderabad had emerged as a leader in IT growth during this period; however, following a change in government last December, Rama Rao criticized the current administration for neglecting the sector.
He cautioned that continued oversight of the IT industry could severely hinder economic progress and employment opportunities in Telangana. Emphasizing the potential of the IT and ITES sectors to generate vast employment for educated youth, he called on the government to prioritize investments in infrastructure and uphold law and order.
Concerns Over Medical College Admissions
In a separate statement, Rama Rao addressed concerns regarding local status regulations for admissions into medical colleges. He criticized the GO 33 guidelines, which restrict local status to students who have completed their 9th to 12th grades in Telangana, thus disproportionately affecting students from other states.
With Hyderabad being a hub for esteemed educational institutions, many out-of-state students seek education here. Rama Rao pointed out that prior to the introduction of GO 33, local status was determined by a maximum four-year residency from grades 6 to 12. He urged the government to rescind the new guidelines, as they would classify Telangana students studying intermediate education outside the state as non-locals for medical college admissions.
