VISAKHAPATNAM: The TDP-led NDA government is set to roll out a new initiative, Adivi Thalli Baata, to bolster the road connectivity in tribal regions.
Spearheaded by Deputy Chief Minister Konidala Pawan Kalyan, who also holds the portfolios of Panchayati Raj, Rural Development, Rural Water Supply, Environment and Forests, and Science and Technology, the initiative focuses on constructing and upgrading roads in remote agency villages to enhance access to essential services, promote development in these areas, and address long-standing infrastructure gaps in interior tribal belts.
As part of the initiative, the Deputy Chief Minister will visit several villages across two days in the Alluri Sitarama Raju district on April 7 and 8.
On Monday, Pawan Kalyan will inspect tribal hostels and lay the foundation stone for road development works under the Adivi Thalli Baata initiative at Peddapadu village in Dumbriguda mandal of the ASR district. Later, he will also address a public meeting in the village.
On Tuesday, he will inaugurate a newly constructed wooden bridge within the coffee plantations at Sunkarametta in Araku mandal. Later in the day, he will head to Indira Gandhi Zoological Park in Visakhapatnam, where he will chair a review meeting with officials on ecotourism. The meeting will focus on the scope for tourism development and promotion of ecotourism across the State.
In view of the Deputy CM’s visit, Chaparai Cascade in Araku will remain closed to tourists on April 7. Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) Paderu in-charge Project Officer and ASR Joint Collector Dr MJ Abhishek Gowda advised the tourists to avoid visiting the site on April 7. It will reopen on April 8.
Pawan will also take part in a massive yoga event, Mahasurya Vandanam-2025, with over 18,000 tribal students at the Government Degree College Grounds in Araku Valley mandal to mark the World Health Day at 4 pm on Monday.
Organised in association with Patanjali Srinivas, Founder of Pranava Sankalpa Yoga Samithi and Secretary of the Indian Yoga Association, AP, the event aims to set a world record while promoting health and wellness through Surya Namaskar.