Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has been forced to cancel his proposed visit to the United States and return to Hyderabad after the Union Ministry of External Affairs denied political clearance for the trip.
An official statement from the Chief Minister’s Office on Friday said Revanth Reddy, who is currently touring the UK, will cut short the US leg of his official visit and return to Hyderabad from London on August 23.
The Telangana government had sought the Centre’s permission for the Chief Minister’s visits to both the UK and the US, as required under protocol. However, only the UK trip was approved.
The Centre reportedly informed the state government about the denial of permission for the US visit after the official delegation had already reached the UK.
Reacting to the decision, Revanth Reddy said the purpose of the visit was to bring some of the world’s best educational institutions to Telangana as part of efforts linked to the Centre’s New Education Policy.
“The only purpose of the visit was to bring the world’s best institutions to India, Telangana and Hyderabad. They would have helped meet the aspirations of our youth by providing education, skills and training from Ivy League and other top global institutions,” he said.
Revanth said he believed issues concerning nation-building and the future of young people should go beyond politics and elections.
Expressing disappointment over what he described as a “political denial” of permission for a visit aimed at promoting Telangana Rising, education and Viksit Bharat, the Chief Minister decided to comply with the Centre’s decision.
He will now return to Hyderabad from London instead of travelling to Boston.
However, Revanth has instructed officials in the delegation to continue with the US visit and complete the proposed MoUs and partnership agreements.
“We will make Hyderabad a global knowledge hub,” he said.
Revanth pointed out that institutions such as Osmania University, the University of Hyderabad and JNTU had already helped establish Hyderabad as a major centre for skilled human resources.
He also referred to Hyderabad Public School, saying it had produced several global technology leaders. He said institutions such as IIT, ISB, IIIT and NALSAR had further helped Hyderabad attract major corporations and Global Capability Centres.
“Now, we will make Hyderabad the home for the world’s greatest education and skills institutions to power our 21st-century journey,” he said.
The Chief Minister will continue with his scheduled engagements in the UK, including visits and interactions with Oxford, Cambridge, the London School of Economics, London Business School and the University of London.
He is also expected to meet representatives of leading sports and skill-development institutions in the UK and explore partnerships with Telangana.
“My aim is to make Hyderabad one of the world’s top global cities, where an ordinary Indian can access education and certification from institutions such as Harvard, Oxford, MIT, LBS or LSE. While many leaders want to send their children abroad, I want to bring the world’s best institutions to India,” Revanth said.
