HYDERABAD: Former British prime minister Tony Blair on Tuesday reaffirmed his admiration for Telangana’s governance and reform trajectory, noting that the state’s development mirrors the qualities that once guided the United Kingdom through its own phase of transformative change.
In a video message to the Telangana Rising Global Summit 2025, Tony Blair, who is also the executive chairman of Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, said that Telangana’s approach to policy, innovation and inclusion reflects the spirit required for nations to achieve long-term progress.
He said that India’s ambition of becoming a fully developed nation by 2047 — articulated through the Viksit Bharat vision — would depend greatly on states that are prepared to lead from the front.
Recalling his years in office, Blair said that the UK had navigated periods that demanded decisive action — from strengthening public services and revamping the education system to embracing an emerging digital era. He said that the lessons learned during those years are visible in Telangana’s governance model today.
“Telangana’s achievements, therefore, are not just local successes. Telangana’s contribution to India is part of a wider journey of becoming one of the world’s great democratic, economic and technological powers. So Telangana embarks on its next decade, expanding its metro, modernising irrigation, supporting women’s empowerment, reforming governance to be more transparent, and citizen centred and welcoming global investment,” he remarked.
Blair also conveyed his keen desire to visit the state in person and extended his warm greetings to its people. “My best wishes to the people of Telangana for continued advancement and a future shaped by the energy, ambition and self-belief that define this remarkable state,” he added.