Celebrations have begun in Hyderabad and all across Telangana as the separate state became a reality at the stroke of midnight on Monday—the “appointed day” when Telangana was supposed to come into existence as the 29th state of India.
Telangana was officially declared the 29th state of India. K Chandrasekhar Rao, the leader of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, was sworn in as the first Chief Minister of the newly formed state.
With a population of 35 million, it comprises 10 former districts of Andhra Pradesh and the city of Hyderabad.
ESL Narasimhan was sworn in as the first Governor. The Ministry of Home Affairs has now revoked the President's rule which was imposed in the state.
Here's all you need to know about the new state:
Districts: Hyderabad, Adilabad, Khammam, Karimnagar, Mahbubnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Rangareddy and Warangal.
Area: 1.14 lakh sqkm, 13th largest state in India Population: 3.52 Cr according to the 2011 census. Forty one percent of the population of Andhra Pradesh state lives in Telangana
Positives:
i. Has a huge chunk of natural resources
ii. 68 percent of catchment area of Krishna river
iii. 79 percent of catchment area of Godavari river
iv. 45 percent of Andhra's forest cover is in Telangana
v. Hyderabad is the only major developed & industrialized district
Negatives:
i. The region is a Naxal hotbed, with mostly barren land
ii. It also faces acute power shortage
iii. Law & order could also be a big problem in the new state
Residual Andhra:
Districts: 13 ( 9 in coastal Andhra, 3 in Rayalaseema) Coastal districts- Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam and Nellore.
Rayalaseema districts - Kadapa, Kurnool, Ananthapur and Chittoor.
Area: 1.60 lakh Sq km, 9th largest state in India Population: 5 Cr, according to the 2011 census
Positives:
i. The region is well developed and has better infrastructure
ii. Has a long coast and huge chunk of fertile land
iii. Has many major developed and industrialized cities
iv. Has better road and rail transport
v. Naxals have a marginal presence
vi. Visakhapatnam is a port city, has a Naval base and a ship building yard
vii. Can develop business and industry in major cities like Vishakhapatnam,
viii. Vijayawada, Rajahmundry, Tirupati, Ongole and Kurnool.
Kalvakuntla Chandrasekhar Rao was on Monday sworn in as Chief Minister of newly-carved out state of Telangana.
Eleven others were also sworn in as Cabinet Ministers by Governor E S L Narasimhan, who administered them oath of office and secrecy at Raj Bhavan.
The Cabinet included Rao's son K T Rama Rao and nephew T Harish Rao.
Nine other Cabinet Ministers are Mohammed Mahmood Ali, T Rajaiah, Nayani Narasimha Reddy, Eatela Rajender, Pocharam Srinivasa Reddy, T Padma Rao, P Mahender Reddy, Jogu Ramanna and G Jagadish Reddy.
For the first time — outside the Hindi- and Bengali-speaking areas — two states speaking the same language have been created. Both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, the two successor states to Andhra Pradesh, that come into existence on Monday, swear by Telugu.
However, the central rule will continue in the residual Andhra Pradesh till TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu takes charge as Chief Minister a week later.
President's rule was imposed in Andhra Pradesh on March 1 after N Kiran Kumar Reddy resigned as Chief Minister following Parliament's nod for bifurcation of the state to create separate Telangana.
Rao's party Telangana Rashtra Samiti won 63 of the 119 assembly seats in Telangana in the recent elections while Naidu's Telugu Desam Party, along with ally BJP, bagged 106 of the 175 assembly seats in Seemandhra.