Harish Rao Releases Water From Ranganayaka Sagar

Telangana Finance Minister T Harish Rao today released water from the Ranganayaka Sagar for the first time, after its inauguration in April 2020.

Speaking on the occasion, Rao said that he felt honoured and fortunate to be able to release water for the year's Yasangi (summer-time) crops, and hoped that the waters would help the farmers in Siddipet and its adjoining areas to boost their produce.

The minister also said that the implementation of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS), of which Ranganayaka Sagar is a part, had increased the irrigated cultivable area in the state to 50 lakh acres for the first time, and that the credit for this went to Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's commitment to improving Telangana's irrigation infrastructure.

"Before the completion of the KLIS, just about 20 lakh acres of land in the state was under cultivation. Today, however, this figure has reached nearly 50 lakh acres for the first time. This is all the result of the CM's vision. Unlike in united Andhra Pradesh, where much of the state's farmlands were parched, in Telangana, we have been able to address the problem of water supply successfully," he said.

"I hope that the waters of Ranganayaka Sagar truly benefit the Siddipet, Husnabad and Siricilla constituencies for years to come. The fact that water from the project is being released for the first time on the CM's birthday makes both occasions even more special. I am glad to be part of both," Rao added.

Earlier in the day, he had participated in the plantation drive organised for KCR's 67th birth anniversary