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With the announcement of Telangana Assembly elections imminent, the Centre on Wednesday made several announcements to address long-pending demands of various sections of the state, including setting up of a tribal university, formation of a national board to facilitate turmeric farmers, and approval of the terms of reference of the tribunal to govern the division of the river water between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Briefing media after a meeting of the Union Cabinet, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said after the formation of Telangana, there was a provision in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, that one tribal university each would be established in both the states. “Andhra Pradesh established a university in 2019, but it took a long time to get land in Telangana. Now that land has been allotted,” he said, adding that the Sammakka Sarakka Central Tribal University (named after tribal goddesses Samakka and Sarakka) will be set up in Mulugu district at a cost of Rs 889 crore. For this, the government will introduce the Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2023 in Parliament to amend the Central Universities Act, 2009, which got the Cabinet’s approval during the meeting on Wednesday.
Union Minister G Kishan Reddy – also the state BJP President – told the reporters that the new university will create additional capacity and strive to remove regional imbalances. He said there had been a delay in the allotment of land for the university. The university – a timeline for which has not been given yet – aims to increase access to higher education in the state, while also promoting research facilities in tribal art, culture and traditional knowledge systems for the benefit of the tribal population in the state.
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Earlier this week, during his visit to the poll-bound state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had unveiled developmental projects worth Rs 13,500 crore, also announcing that the Centre has decided to establish a Central Tribal University at a cost of about Rs 900 crore in Mulugu. “The state government kept postponing the work of giving land to the university for five years,” he had said.
The Central government on Wednesday notified the constitution of the National Turmeric Board, focussing on the development and growth of turmeric and turmeric products in the country. Thakur said that India exports turmeric worth Rs 1,600 crore, and the target is to reach Rs 8,400 crore. “To accomplish this target it is necessary to form a National Turmeric Board,” he said. The Board will provide leadership on turmeric-related matters, augment the efforts, and facilitate greater coordination with the Spices Board and other government agencies in the development and growth of the turmeric sector, as per a government statement.
#WATCH | “If we talk about turmeric…We export turmeric worth Rs 1,600 crores today and now we are aiming to reach Rs 8,400 crores…To accomplish this target it is necessary to form a National Turmeric Board…,” says Union minister Anurag Thakur during a briefing on Cabinet… pic.twitter.com/KLbtLeLpNL
— ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2023
There is significant potential and interest worldwide in the health and wellness benefits of turmeric, which the Board will leverage to further increase awareness and consumption, Reddy added. The Board shall have a chairperson to be appointed by the Centre, besides members from the Ministry of AYUSH, Departments of Pharmaceuticals, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Commerce & Industry, representatives of the state governments. The largest turmeric producing states in India include Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The Cabinet has also approved the terms of reference of the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal that will govern the division of the river water between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Thakur said the tribunal will allocate water on a project-wise basis for projects in both states that are intended for developmental or future purposes. The resolution of dispute between the two states on the use, distribution or control of Krishna river waters will open new avenues of growth in both states, and will be beneficial for the people, Thakur said. Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II was constituted by the Central government in 2004 on requests made by the party states. It was in 2014 that Telangana came into existence as a state.
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