Rama Rao was addressing students, entrepreneurs, and global investors at the 21st Annual India Business Conference at Columbia Business School in New York.

Speaking on the Telangana Decade, he said the state emerged as a trendsetting model of governance, innovation, and economic growth under the leadership of its first Chief Minister Chandrashekar Rao. He noted that the journey represents dignity and progress, emphasising that the state built institutions and investor confidence to attract growth proactively. Clarity of purpose in leadership builds credibility and accelerates progress, even in a diverse country like India. He asserted that the best way to predict the future is to create it.

Rama Rao stressed that the rise of the country will come from states leveraging unique strengths rather than uniform policy approaches. He compared the potential of India to a Formula 1 grid with 28 engines, where each state contributes to national progress through competitive development. India's growth will come from regions playing to their strengths, he said, pointing out that while national leadership attracts global attention, investment decisions are ultimately made at state and city levels.

He noted that the technology ecosystem of Telangana witnessed rapid expansion between 2014 and 2023, with IT exports increasing from Rs 57,000 crore to Rs 2.72 lakh crore. Technology sector employment grew from 3.23 lakh to nearly 10 lakh jobs during this period. He emphasised that Hyderabad became a preferred destination for global technology majors due to the speed of governance. He noted that Amazon's largest campus globally is in Hyderabad and companies such as Google, Apple, Meta, Salesforce, Uber, and Micron have major operations in the city.

The state invested heavily in innovation infrastructure through institutions such as T-Hub, WE Hub, T-Works, and TASK. These institutions helped transform Hyderabad into a major startup destination. He added that Telangana contributes nearly 40 per cent of the bulk drug production of India, noting that Hyderabad has become a hub for digital drug discovery.

Speaking about agriculture, Rama Rao highlighted the Kaleshwaram Project, the largest multi-purpose lift irrigation project in the world, enabling irrigation for 45 lakh acres. He urged leaders to design ideas rather than just announcing them and to build capacity for tomorrow. He concluded by stating that building confidence in investors is the key to sustaining long-term economic development and global competitiveness for the region.