Telangana government keen on building relationships with Sri Lanka

Hyderabad: India’s  Telangana state government is keen on building relationships with the neighboring countries like Sri Lanka and in strengthening cooperation in the fields of tourism, health and social sectors, the state’s Chief Secretary Dr Rajiv Sharma has told a visiting group of Sri Lankan journalists.

The 15-member Sri Lankan journalists’ delegation consisting of editors and senior journalists on a three-day familiarisation visit to the State met with the Chief Secretary of Telangana state at the secretariat in Hyderabad on Friday.

Welcoming the delegation, the Chief Secretary briefed the Sri Lankan scribes about the historical and cultural importance of Telangana, The Siasat Daily reported. Dr Sharma said Hyderabad is the most-favored destination for IT, Pharma, bulk drugs and the Aerospace industry. Many noted research institutions relating to defense, science and technology and life science sectors are set up in Hyderabad. The city has become a hub for major multinational corporations such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft as there was abundant manpower talent available in the State. Hyderabad has established itself as a center for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions hosting a lot of seminars, events and conferences. He also said with a lot of corporate hospitals in the city, it has established itself as a medical hub. More and more people from across the globe are coming to Hyderabad to avail of its world class medical facilities, he added.

Referring to the rich historical legacy of the State, the Chief Secretary said many Buddhist pilgrims from far and wide visit the State to have a glimpse of the Buddhist culture, including the famous Buddha statue in the Hussain Sagar. “Telangana has a cultural identity of its own. It was earlier under the Nizam rule and had a unique history and separate identity. The Telangana State was de-merged from the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh State through an act of Parliament after six decades of  intense struggle by the people as they felt that the funds and resources were being diverted to other areas.

“Hyderabad is a gateway to south and north India. The city boasts of a good climate, law and order and cosmopolitan culture. The geo strategic location of the city attracts much investment to the state,” he added.