Hyderabad: The Centre’s Economic Survey 2025-26 has mapped Telangana’s growth trajectory across agriculture, industry and services, highlighting a sharp expansion in irrigated area, strong industrial depth and rising productivity during the former BRS govt’s tenure.A key takeaway of the survey is the significant increase in cultivated area in Telangana, which expanded from 1.31 crore acres in 2014 to 2.20 crore acres by FY 2023, bringing nearly 90 lakh additional acres under cultivation. The growth has been attributed primarily to large-scale irrigation initiatives such as the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project, Mission Kakatiya, and other major and minor irrigation works. The survey said that improved irrigation coverage, alignment of crops with natural resources, and the adoption of climate-resilient, high-yield seed varieties played a critical role in boosting agricultural productivity and insulating farmers from rainfall volatility, particularly in regions once considered drought-prone. NDSA flags concernsThe Economic Survey’s endorsement of Telangana’s irrigation-led agricultural expansion comes at a time when serious questions have been raised over the structural stability and utility of the Kaleshwaram barrages. Recently, the National Dam Safety Authority flagged concerns over the safety of the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages, noting that Medigadda, in particular, requires reconstruction after a portion of the structure sank. The survey also tracked macroeconomic indicators, noting that Telangana’s inflation rate, which stood at 8.5% a few years ago, declined to 2.6%, reflecting improved price stability compared to earlier years. Beyond agriculture, the Economic Survey highlighted Telangana’s broader economic footprint. Despite accounting for less than 3% of India’s population, the state contributes around 5% of the country’s manufacturing employment, placing it among the top seven manufacturing states alongside much larger peers. The survey also pointed to Telangana’s prominence in sectors such as cement manufacturing, where the state hosts a dense cluster of plants that support infrastructure and construction activity across the region. Services sectorOn the services front, the report said Telangana ranks among India’s top four service-sector contributors, alongside Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. “Telangana stands tall as one of India’s top four service sector contributors, along with Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu. Together, these states account for nearly 40% of India’s services output. The growth is driven by IT and digital services, finance and professional services, and high value urban productivity,” the report said. The survey also acknowledged governance and institutional strengths. Telangana has five institutions ranked among the top 100 higher education institutions in the country and is one of six states to implement a GPS-based vehicle location tracking system to monitor real-time movement of food grain transport vehicles. Among social sector initiatives, the survey showcased WE-Hub as a national best practice, praising the platform for connecting women entrepreneurs with start-up ecosystems and investors, and for promoting workforce participation through innovative public-private partnership models. Flagship schemes: BRSResponding to the findings, the BRS said in a statement on Thursday that the survey documented Telangana’s expansion in cultivable area, driven by irrigation investments, including Kaleshwaram and Mission Kakatiya. “The survey credits these flagship programmes for improving irrigation access, stabilising crop patterns, and enhancing agricultural productivity,” the party said. Reacting to criticism from rival parties, the BRS added: “No amount of selective outrage or Goebbels-style misinformation by the Congress and BJP can erase Telangana’s remarkable progress under KCR (former CM K Chandrasekhar Rao), as clearly documented by the Union govt’s Economic Survey.”
