Over the past year, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan has carved out a distinctive presence in Andhra Pradesh’s governance landscape, one that goes well beyond the conventional markers of schemes and budgetary outlays.
His performance during this period has been marked by high visibility, intensity of engagement and political clarity, positioning him among the most influential and closely watched leaders in the State.
Balancing multiple roles with notable ease, Pawan Kalyan has functioned simultaneously as an administrator driving programmes, a mobiliser energising the grassroots and a political defender of the government.
He has often stepped into contested political and administrative spaces that others chose to avoid. This blend of governance and political engagement has come to define his public persona over the last year.
Notably, alongside his public responsibilities, he also completed the shooting of three films, two of which were released, with one emerging as a memorable success among his fans.
Beyond administration, the year saw Pawan Kalyan emerge as one of the most vocal defenders of the TDP-led coalition government. He consistently countered allegations from the opposition YSR Congress Party, rejecting what he described as motivated narratives and misinformation campaigns.
In contrast to the relative restraint displayed by several Cabinet colleagues, he openly challenged opposition claims, issued strong rebuttals and, on occasion, warned against attempts to destabilise governance.
He also raised questions about the functioning of the police department in specific instances, calling for accountability wherever he believed administrative lapses had occurred.
Throughout the year, Pawan Kalyan maintained high public visibility through frequent reviews of constituency and district-level performance. He repeatedly urged MLAs and officials to prioritise job creation, adopt customised development plans and ensure timely delivery of public services. Entrusted with portfolios central to rural Andhra Pradesh — Panchayat Raj and Rural Development, Rural Water Supply, Environment and Forests, and Science and Technology — his responsibilities span governance structures, infrastructure creation, natural resource management and rural livelihoods.
Despite being relatively new to administrative management, he adopted a hands-on approach, marked by regular field reviews and direct engagement with officials to accelerate execution.
One of the most notable initiatives was the conduct of simultaneous Grama Sabhas across 13,326 villages, an exercise that drew national attention for its scale and participatory intent.
Designed to place decision-making directly in the hands of villagers, the initiative aimed to prioritise local needs and strengthen monitoring of development works.
During the year, Andhra Pradesh improved its standing in Panchayati Raj governance, with reports indicating a rise in national rankings related to implementation and reforms.
Four Gram Panchayats from the State received National Panchayat Awards. To strengthen decentralised governance structurally, 77 Divisional Development Offices were inaugurated.
Rural infrastructure remained a central focus. The first phase of the Palle Pandaga programme alone resulted in the construction of over 4,000 km of cement concrete roads and more than 22,500 mini gokulams. Palle Pandaga 2.0 approved 8,571 km more of rural roads, while 1,312 km of BT roads provided first-time connectivity to 419 habitations.
In the RWS sector, significant progress was recorded under the Jal Jeevan Mission, with 3,778 works completed and tap water connections provided to over 54,000 households.
As Minister for Environment and Forests, Pawan Kalyan emphasised balancing development with ecological responsibility. Green cover increased to 30.05 percent, plantations covered nearly 97,000 hectares and forest fire incidents declined by 24 percent.
Reports: S Guru Srikanth, S Viswanath, Y Brahmaji and Neelima Eaty