Hyderabad: Telangana minister for finance T. Harish Rao replaced former cabinet minister Etala Rajender by accepting the responsibility as the president of the Exhibition Society on Saturday.
When contacted by Siasat.com, Dr. Prabha Shankar, the honorary secretary of the Exhibition Society said that the appointment was made in keeping with the convention of hiring a cabinet member for the post of president for the Society. “With the resignation of Etala Rajender from the state government, a new vacancy opened up and Rao was welcomed into the Society by the office members on Saturday.”
The Exhibition Society was established in 1938 and is popularly known for organizing the Numaish exhibition every year. The society also sponsors and manages 19 educational institutions including Kamala Nehru Polytechnic College for Women (KNPW).
The society has been accused recently of colluding with the state government to privatize KNPW, for which it has received criticism from activists and alumni of the college. Furthermore, the college alumni have accused the society of ignoring women’s education and not caring about the welfare of underprivileged students.
Considering the fact that T. Harish Rao also obtained his polytechnic degree from a government college, his stance on the issue becomes all the more imperative. Siasat.com tried to reach out to the minister for his comments, however, despite repeated attempts, he remained unavailable for comment.