PM Modi announces Turmeric Board & central tribal varsity for poll-bound Telangana

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday announced National Turmeric Board and the setting up of Samakka Sarakka Central Tribal University in Mulugu district of Telangana.

He was in Telangana's Mahbubnagar to lay the foundation stone of several development projects worth Rs 13, 545 crores.

Setting up of a Turmeric Board on the lines of the one for Tobacco has been a long pending demand from the farmers of Telangana. Turmeric is cultivated in nearly 50,000 acres of land in the state, especially in Nizamabad.

Turmeric exports from Telangana constitute at least 30 per cent of the overall exports from India. The presence of naturally occurring chemical compound curcumin makes turmeric a highly sought-after product especially by the pharma industry.

Amid price fluctuations and other hardships faced by turmeric farmers, they have been demanding a Board on the lines of Tobacco Board that decides on the extent of the crop to be grown in any season, while ensuring proper marketing of the produce.

The issue of setting up a Turmeric Board had also taken a political turn in Telangana.

In 2019 polls, BJP candidate from Nizamabad Lok Sabha, Dharmapuri Aravind, promised Turmeric Board. After his win, there were protests by the farmers actively supported by other political parties for not fulfilling the promise of setting up the Turmeric Board.

While announcing the Turmeric Board, Modi underlined that the National Turmeric Board will focus on value addition to the supply chain and also assist in infrastructure improvement for the farmers. PM Modi congratulated all the turmeric-growing farmers from Telangana and the entire nation on the formation of the National Turmeric Board.

The central tribal varsity, Modi said, will come up at a cost of Rs 900 crore. “The Government of India is going to establish a Central Tribal University in Mulugu district. This university will be named after the revered tribal goddesses Sammakka-Sarakka. About Rs 900 crore will be spent on Sammakka-Sarakka Central Tribal University.”

Modi also laid the foundation stone of multiple developmental projects worth over Rs 13,500 crore in Mahbubnagar. The development projects include important sectors like road, rail, petroleum and natural gas and higher education. During the programme, the PM also flagged off a train service through video conferencing.

Addressing the gathering, he also underlined the advent of the festive season and said that the passage of 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam' in the Parliament had established the spirit of Shakti Puja before the onset of Navratri.

Modi also expressed happiness in laying the foundation stone of many road connectivity projects which, he said, will transform life in the region.

Nagpur – Vijayawada Economic Corridor will ease transportation and business in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra and give a push to trade, tourism and industry in these states.

He informed that key economic hubs have been identified in the corridor, including eight Special Economic Zone, five Mega food parks, four fishing seafood clusters, three pharma and medical clusters and one textiles cluster. This will open many avenues for the youth of Hanamkonda, Mahabubabad, Warangal and Khammam districts.

The Prime Minister highlighted the need for rail and road connectivity for a landlocked state like Telangana for taking the goods manufactured here to the ports. He said many key economic corridors of the country are passing through Telangana, adding these will become a medium to connect the state with the East and West Coast.

The Suryapet-Khammam section of the Hyderabad Visakhapatnam corridor will also help in this. It will help in reaching the East Coast. Besides, logistics costs of industries and businesses will also be reduced.

The railway line being built between Jaklair and Krishna section will also be very important for the people here, he said.

Speaking about the recent developments around the world in the energy and energy security sector, the Prime Minister highlighted that the government has secured energy not only for the industries but also for the household.

He gave the example of an increase in the number of LPG cylinders from 14 crores in 2014 to 32 crores in 2023, and also mentioned the recent reduction in gas prices.

“Government is giving impetus to the expansion of the LPG distribution network in the country," the Prime Minister said, as he noted that the Hassan-Cherlapalli LPG Pipeline Project will play a crucial role in providing energy security to people in the region.

He also spoke about the Multiproduct Petroleum Pipeline between Krishnapatnam to Hyderabad, which will help in the creation of thousands of direct and indirect jobs in Telangana.

Earlier, he inaugurated many buildings at the Hyderabad Central University. The Centre has given Hyderabad University the status of ‘Institution of Eminence’ and provided special funding.