The Rural Development department in Telangana is all set for a makeover. The Telangana State government took several initiatives to make governance at rural level people-friendly. On completing the 100-day rule in the state by the TRS government, Rural Development Minister KT Rama Rao released a vision document for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development on Saturday.
The major initiative by the Rural Development department is to conduct the Intensive Household Survey. Highlights of the document, if implemented properly, will make Telangana villages as role models for the country. Excerpts of the document.
e-PANCHAYAT AS ONE-STOP SHOP: Providing all important citizen services through gram panchayat. Empowering Panchayat Raj institutions and ensuring decentralised governance. Equipping the gram panchayats with IT infrastructure. In the first phase, around 2,000 villages will become e-panchayats. In the next four years entire 8,800-odd villages in the State will become e-panchayats. The broadband network is available for around 800 mandal headquarters villages. Broadband network will be provided to all villages by next four years. Payment of pensions and services currently available through MeeSeva in urban areas will be extended to villages through e-panchayat.
SAFE DRINKING WATER FOR ALL: To provide every rural person with adequate safe water for drinking, cooking and other basic needs on sustainable basis. To provide at least 35 per cent household connections by 2017. To provide at least 55 per cent rural habitations with piped water supply by 2017. By 2022 every rural person will have access to 70 litres per day (LPD) within their household premises or at a horizontal or vertical distance of not more than 50 metres from their household, irrespective of their socio-economic status.
TELANGANA WATER GRID: Telangana State government has announced to mitigate permanently the plight of women in fetching water to the household needs by providing safe, adequate, sustainable and secured water supply system through a mega project in the entire state by grid approach. It is planned to provide drinking water to all rural and urban areas by 2019. The Telangana Water Grid project’s objective is to provide safe drinking water at household kitchen level at the defined and approved norms such that the women need not go to the streets for collection of drinking water from public standpost or tankers. The uniqueness of the project is to supply bulk water from the major reservoirs in Godavari and Krishna basins through large trunk mains and connect to the areas affected with quality problems and scarcity issues duly utilising the already created infrastructure. While doing so, conjunctive use of water is planned by harvesting rain water to recharge the ground water keeping the environmental issues in mind. The government is aiming to take up the project in a phased manner so as to complete the task by 2019. Total cost of the project is estimated to be around Rs 24,500 crore.
DEFECATION-FREE STATE: To make entire Telangana state an open defecation free state by 2019, by encouraging communities to construct their toilets in a saturation basis and use them. Government has taken a decision to gear up the entire machinery of Panchayat Raj, Rural Water Supply and Sanitation, Rural Development, MGNREGS, SERP, Zilla Samakhya and others to take up this mammoth task of making Telangana State an “open defecation free state”.
RURAL INCLUSIVE GROWTH PROJECT: Telangana State government has given green signal for ` 650 crore World Bank Project with a vision to bring about comprehensive economic prosperity in the rural areas of the State and thereby achieving the inclusive growth. The focus of the State government will be more on integrated socio-economic and human development of the rural poor. The vision is to create, strengthen and utilise community-based producer organisations and micro enterprises as a means of capacity building and income enhancement for the agricultural (redgram and paddy) and livestock (dairy, poultry and small ruminants) based producers as well as the entrepreneurs among the rural poor and to create a marketing channel in the form of marts to market their products and to deliver more value to the end consumers in terms of quality and quantity.
INTENSIVE PARTICIPATORY PLANNING EXERCISE: Participatory and need-based planning of 78 most backward mandals for improving the quality and durability of assets and livelihood enhancement. The aim is to promote livelihood of vulnerable sections of the people. Plan for identification of need-based works in 78 backward mandals. Habitation level planning with intensive participation of villagers. Integrated development of each gram panchayat.
AGRICULTURE STORAGE GODOWNS: Ensuring maximum procurement and ensuring best prices to the farmers. The objective is that to create permanent godown facilities by constructing storage godowns to avoid distress sale of farm produce. To avoid spoilage of food grains due to rains. To provide drying platforms for food grains and ensure better price. It will also address the issues of post-harvest and marketing at village levels. The plan is to construct 500 godowns each with a capacity of 500 tonnes. Around 300 godowns will be constructed this year and 200 in the next year. Though paddy and maize procured annually through procurement centres is 13.58 lakh tonnes, currently there is no godown space for the same.
RESTORATION OF MINOR IRRIGATION TANKS: The aim of the State government is to restore cascading tank irrigation system in Telangana to its original water storage capacity under MGNREGS. So that the water storage capacity will improve thereby irrigated area will also increase. This will also help to recharge ground water in rural areas.
HARITHA HAARAM: Green Telangana, by ensuring 33 per cent geographical area is under green cover. The objective is that to plant 120 crore plants over a period of three years. Ensuring ecological and environmental balance.
TO REACH THE LAST MILE: To connect all remaining unconnected habitations with “all weather roads”. Effective routine and periodic maintenance of all existing roads to prevent deterioration due to water and tear and providing comfort to road users. Black topping (BT) all roads connecting Panchayats to mandal headquarters. The State allotted Rs 1,000 crore to improve and upkeep the existing roads and to build new roads to unconnected habitations.
CALL CENTRE: A call centre was inaugurated on Saturday, which works from 8 am to 8 pm, except on Sundays. The number is 1800-200-1001. Timely redressal of the grievances of the rural poor on various rural developmental programmes.