KTR inaugurates new manufacturing facility at Maheshwaram

IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao on Tuesday requested Wipro Founder Chairman Azim Premji to consider Telangana for setting up LED bulbs unit and a private university near Hyderabad or any district in the State. “Premji’s life is a lesson for those in public life. His life is all about humility, charity and of building world class institutions,” he said.

The Minister was speaking after inaugurating the new manufacturing facility of Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting at Maheshwaram. The company invested about Rs 300 crore and the unit will provide employment to about 900 people.

“This is a mega project in which Wipro has invested about Rs 300 crore. I am appreciative of the fact that more than 900 jobs have been created, of which 90 per cent employment is for locals. About 15 per cent of the workforce is women,” he said.

Among others, the new facility will make soaps, fabric conditioners and dish washers in Telangana.

Rama Rao said the required approvals were given last year. The company ensured that the works did not get affected due to the Covid. The factory has invested in advanced technologies including for affluent treatment. The boiler runs on agro-based waste fuels. The factory will ensure there is zero liquid discharge, he said.

Rama Rao said Premji Foundation, during the pandemic, contributed about Rs 25 crore for the healthcare segment of the State. It also contributed another Rs 12 crore for upping the vaccination efforts in slums and districts. This was besides the Rs 44 crore the foundation spent on various



grassroot level organisations it worked with, he said, expressing gratitude.

Stating that Telangana’s single window clearance system TS-iPASS in the past 7.5 years had created employment potential for 16 lakh people., the Minister said: “Telangana stands for ease of doing business. If you want to expand the capacity, there is no further approval required. 

You can just give a self-certification about compliance with the law of the land. You should just put an application online for regulatory purposes. We will act on it within 15 days. If we do not, it is deemed approved. There is no State that allows this kind of system.”

Pointing out that attracting investments is a difficult thing as several states are in competition, he said: “We have to offer incentives, provide ease of doing business, make available talented workforce and so on. If the companies like the place, they will attract more companies to come here. This will increase the employment opportunities. If there is any problem, we should sort it out through dialogue,” he said.

Education Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy said the Wipro unit created employment opportunities for the local youth. “There is new hope among youth of getting employment closer to their native villages,” she said, adding that interior places like Shabad too are seeing big ticket investments. “Getting an industry is difficult. It is our responsibility to protect the companies here. People should be part of the growth process as that will bring more investments,” she said.