HYDERABAD: Describing the six metropolitan cities of Hyderabad, New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Bengaluru as the true engines of the country’s economy, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday called for the creation of an “M6 Cities Taskforce”, while asking the Centre to invest Rs 1 lakh crore each in these cities.
“These six cities are the true engines of the economy, yet they lag behind the world’s great cities. These cities house around 10 per cent of India’s population and generate nearly a quarter of its GDP. We urge that a national taskforce, empowered to act with speed, be created to develop all six cities to global standards... not as expenditure but as investment in the assets that generate the revenues, jobs and standing of a developed India.”
The chief minister was speaking at the 11th Governing Council Meeting of Niti Aayog, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi.
Revanth also sought recognition and financial assistance for the Bharat Future City, central assistance for Hyderabad Metro Rail Phase 2, construction of a 12-lane expressway to Bandar Port from Future City, Musi River Rejuvenation and the Regional Ring Road project. He also requested the grant of CWC clearances and financial assistance to the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme, sanction of an IIM for Hyderabad and assistance under the India Semiconductor Mission.
Meanwhile, the chief minister asserted that there is a need for an education revolution in the country. He explained: “The SEEPC survey has helped the Telangana government conclude that the current educational system has huge shortcomings in terms of quality. Trust in the government schooling system is going down. We need a revolutionary change to get us ready for an ever-changing world. This current system, to its credit, may have made education more accessible to the people. However, it is time for us to focus on quality and outcomes now.”
Stressing the need for skill development among youth, the chief minister said: “The Telangana government has put strong emphasis on developing a multi-faceted and diverse economy. We want to follow a ‘China Plus One’ approach, wherein Telangana is the default global alternative for supply chains across industries. We want to create world-class infrastructure with great connectivity and a vibrant manufacturing economy. To drive this industrial growth, the state will need a strong and capable blue-collar workforce that can create real, tangible value on the factory floor, on construction sites, in workshops and so on.”