KTR promises to complete the Christian Bhavan in Hyderabad earliest

Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao on Friday affirmed that the State government was working towards the goal of achieving cohesive development of the State with inclusive growth of all communities. He stated that Telangana was a true secular State where believers of all religions can live together in peace and in a secure environment.

“Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao is a secularist at heart. He is a strong believer in Hindu Dharma, but he gives equal respect to beliefs of other religions, and hence, the State government treats all religions equally,” he said, at an interaction with Bishops and other Christian leaders at the Ministers’ Quarters here. The Minister asked Minorities Welfare Minister Koppula Eeshwar, who was present at the meeting, to consider the proposal for setting up a Christian Advisory Council.

Rama Rao lauded the services of the Christian community as well as Missionaries for playing a key role in development of the country especially in the fields of education and health. He pointed out that Missionary hospitals continued to play an effective role during several crisis for several decades including the current COVID-19 pandemic. Rama Rao recalled that he was born in a missionary hospital in Karimnagar and



most of his school education was in missionary schools.

The Minister said the State government will work in good faith to solve the issues raised by the Christian community and assured that he will take them up with the Chief Minister. He said the TRS government does not believe in lip sympathy, but one which acts on issues at hand. He promised to complete the Christian Bhavan in Hyderabad at the earliest.

Eeshwar said the State government was making all efforts for the welfare of Christian community on all fronts. He said more than 8,000 Christian children were studying in about 204 minority residential schools established in the State. He promised to protect Church properties and pointed out that the Chief Minister had resolved the major issue of burial grounds for Christian community in Greater Hyderabad. He said the government was not only allocating land for graveyards, but also developing it to meet the needs of the local community.

Telangana State Planning Board vice-chairman B Vinod Kumar, Telangana State Rythu Bandhu Samithi chairman and MLC Palla Rajeshwar Rao, nominated MLA Stephenson, Bishop Thumma Bala and other Christian community leaders were present.