The Telangana region exhibited higher growth rates in various economic indicators primarily due to its low base in 1956. For instance, the increase in net sown area, agricultural machinery, fertilizer consumption, and the establishment of primary agricultural credit societies and veterinary hospitals all indicate significant growth. However, these increases must be understood in the context of their starting points, which were relatively low compared to Andhra.
Agricultural Development:
The net sown area in Telangana marginally increased from 123.8 lakh acres in 1956-57 to 124.2 lakh acres in 1967-68. Similarly, the net irrigated area grew from 23.0 lakh acres to 26.5 lakh acres during the same period. Although these figures show growth, they also highlight the region’s stagnation in terms of land utilization and irrigation development.
Telangana accounted for around 40% of the net sown area of Andhra Pradesh, but in key agricultural inputs like machinery and infrastructure, its share was much lower, ranging from 27% to 35%. This indicates a significant gap in the investment and resources allocated to the region.
Agricultural Machinery and Infrastructure:
The distribution of agricultural machinery further underscores the imbalance. For example, Telangana had only 23% of the iron ploughs, 33.2% of electric motors, and 38% of oil engines in the state, despite having a similar livestock population to Andhra.
The disparity was also evident in the ratio of veterinary hospitals, which was 1:1.69, indicating that Telangana had far fewer veterinary facilities relative to its needs.
Rural Electricity and Infrastructure Investment:
Expenditure on rural electricity in Telangana was less than a third of what was spent in Andhra. While Rs. 12.7 crores was sanctioned for rural electricity, only Rs. 10.0 crores was actually spent. This underinvestment hindered rural development and modernization in the region.
Although 49% of the expenditure for road transport and communications was allocated to Telangana, the road length per 100 square miles remained only 20 miles, highlighting the region’s inadequate infrastructure development
