By P. Srinivas

Copyright deccanchronicle

NALGONDA: Information Technology minister D. Sridhar Babu on Thursday said the government was committed to developing Telangana as a leading destination for global investors while equipping the youth with world-class skills to secure employment locally and internationally. Hoisting the national flag at the Praja Palana Dinotsavam organised at the Integrated District Offices Complex in Suryapet, he said advanced training centres were being set up across the state to impart skills aligned with market requirements. These centres will offer technical courses such as robotics, electric vehicles, CNG, food processing, and more, he added. He also said that the Young India International Residential Schools launched by the state government would provide education at par with international standards. The minister credited the achievement of Telangana statehood to the sacrifices of Telangana martyrs, recalling that then UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was moved by their struggle and took the initiative for the state’s formation, turning the decades-old dream of a separate Telangana into reality on June 2, 2014. He said the Congress government holds the martyrs in the highest regard, pointing out that Koti Women’s University has been renamed Chakali Ilamma Mahila University and the Indian Institute of Handlooms and Textile Technology (IIHT) in Hyderabad has been named after Konda Laxman Bapuji. Recalling September 17 as a significant day in Telangana’s history, he noted that Hyderabad State was liberated from Nizam rule and merged into the Indian Union in 1948. He congratulated the people of Telangana on the completion of 77 years of the historic event. “After the last Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, announced that Hyderabad would remain independent, people launched an armed struggle against his dictatorial rule. During the Nizam’s reign, Telangana faced the hardships of feudalism, bonded labour, forced taxation, and the atrocities of the Razakars,” he said. He reminded that when attacks by the Nizam’s army and Razakars intensified, the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel ordered “Operation Polo” on September 13, 1948. Under pressure from the Indian Army and the Telangana armed struggle, the Nizam agreed to merge Hyderabad with the Indian Union. Cultural programmes presented by students at the event showcased Telangana’s rich culture and traditions.