Finance Minister T Harish Rao commenced the Siddipet Half Marathon from the Government Degree College at 6 am on Sunday. Overwhelmed by the tremendous response, Rao declared that the event would become an annual tradition in Siddipet. He lauded Commissioner of Police N Swetha for her efforts in ensuring the event's success and praised Thaduri Srikanth, who ran all the way from Secunderabad to Siddipet, and Dr. M Nagalakshmi, Director of Nature Care Hospital, who cycled from Hyderabad to Siddipet, for motivating the participants. With 4,000 runners participating, Rao expressed his gratitude for the overwhelming enthusiasm shown. The Half Marathon will culminate on Ranganayaka Sagar bund. Following this, he will flag off the 10K run and 5K run on Ranganayaka Sagar bund at 7 am. Additionally, Harish Rao paid homage to Prof Jayashankar on his birthday by garlanding his statue, acknowledging the pivotal role he played in the Telangana statehood movement.