Q.Discuss the major challenges facing the Telangana economy.

Despite fast growth, the state economy faces several structural challenges.

Although Telangana has been one of India's faster-growing state economies, it faces several important challenges:

1. Regional and inter-district imbalance: Growth is heavily concentrated in and around Hyderabad, while several interior districts remain agrarian and less developed. Reducing this gap is a central policy concern.

2. Water and groundwater stress: Despite large irrigation projects, the state's plateau geography means continued dependence on groundwater and on energy-intensive lifting of water. Over-extraction can lower water tables, and running big lift schemes is costly.

3. Low agricultural productivity and farm distress: Agriculture employs nearly half the workforce but produces only about a sixth of output, indicating low productivity and vulnerability of farm incomes.

4. Urbanisation pressures: The rapid growth of Hyderabad strains housing, transport, water supply and civic infrastructure, and can worsen congestion and pollution.

5. Fiscal sustainability: Financing very large irrigation projects and extensive welfare schemes places pressure on the state budget and its borrowing. …

Listing only one challenge, or confusing challenges with achievements. A good answer covers several dimensions — …