Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao (KTR): A Leader’s Journey
Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao, commonly known as KTR, is the working president of the BRS and a former minister. He is also the MLA from Sircilla. Born on July 24, 1976, in Karimnagar, KTR is the son of K Chandrashekar Rao, the first Chief Minister of Telangana.
KTR has made history by winning the Sircilla MLA seat five times in a row. His political journey began in 2009 when he returned to India to join the Telangana Movement. In the 2010 Sircilla bye-election, he won by a small margin of 171 votes. His majority grew significantly over the years: 56,000 votes in 2014, 89,000 votes in 2018, and 29,000 votes in 2023.
KTR has worked tirelessly for the development of Sircilla. He has established numerous institutions including a medical college, JNTU engineering college, an international-standard driving school, and an Agriculture Polytechnic University.
Understanding the importance of supporting local weavers, KTR set up an Apparel Park. Orders worth Rs 300 crore for Bathukamma sarees have been placed to aid these weavers. He also expedited projects like the mid-Manair project and Malakpet reservoir.
Despite his busy schedule as the state party president, KTR made it a point to attend even small events in his constituency, boosting the morale of his supporters.
KTR’s educational background includes an MBA, after which he worked in the US from 2001 to 2006. However, his passion for improving socio-economic conditions brought him back to India and into politics.
He joined the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and worked under his father’s leadership to achieve statehood for Telangana. During this time, he traveled extensively across the state to understand people’s issues and aspirations, which helped shape his political career.
In June 2014, KTR became a cabinet minister in Telangana’s first government. He held several important portfolios including IT, MA&UD, Mining, and Panchayat Raj between 2014 and 2018.
As Minister for IT, KTR implemented a comprehensive plan to meet the needs of the IT industry. He successfully doubled IT exports from Telangana in five years. He introduced business-friendly Industrial, IT, and Electronics policies and promoted entrepreneurship through initiatives like T-Hub, India’s largest incubator for startups.
KTR also created specialized programs such as We-Hub for women entrepreneurs and T-Works for electronics and mechanical startups. Initiatives like TS-iPASS and TS-bPASS were launched for faster industry clearances based on self-certification.
KTR’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. He received the Audi-Ritz Inspirational Icon of the Year Award (Politics) in 2015, the SKOCH Challenger Award in the Start-up India category for T-Hub, and the SKOCH Best Performing IT Minister Award in 2020.
