VIJAYAWADA: For the first time in the country, Gram Sabhas (village meetings) will be held simultaneously in 13,326 village panchayats on a single day across Andhra Pradesh as a step towards strengthening Panchayat Raj system, said Deputy Chief Minister Konidala Pawan Kalyan.
Speaking to media at his camp office in Mangalagiri on Thursday, he said the meetings will be held on Friday (August 23), wherein resolutions for approving 87 different types of works worth Rs 4,500 crore under MGNREGS will be passed. “The meeting will also finalise the action plan for 9.54 crore man-days under MGNREGS,” he said.
Andhra Pradesh is the second State to implement the panchayat system and now we are going to implement the second-generation reforms in the Panchayat Raj system. Reiterating the State government’s commitment to strengthen the Panchayat Raj system as promised during the elections, the Deputy Chief Minister said,funding to the panchayats for celebrating national festivals -- Independence Day and Republic Day was increased by 100 times recently.
“Gram Sabha is not like just any other meeting held for the sake of holding a meeting. It will reflect the true spirit of democracy, where collective decisions will be taken. They will be in tune with the objective of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, which is self-rule with the ultimate objective being self-sufficiency,” the Minister for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development elaborated.
Taking a dig at the previous dispensation headed by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, the Deputy Chief Minister alleged the entire Panchayat Raj system was ruined and even the MGNREGS works were not taken up though funds were released by the Centre.
“During 2019-2023, a total of Rs 40,579 crore were released under MGNREGS. However, there are no tangible results. Had the funds been used for the intended purpose, the results would have been visible. The funds were misused during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, revenues of all panchayats in the State had decreased substantially,” he said.
Asserting that their government will make panchayats as wealth-generating entities, the actor turned politician said there is a lot of vacant land in the villages and they could be put it to the best use. “Each village in the State has its own identity and specialty. Some are famous for handlooms, some for their crafts, and some for their food. Those specialties will be encouraged and transformed as revenue generators. Women empowerment will be integral to village development,” he explained. Social forestry is another avenue of income generation, he pointed out.
Pawan Kalyan lambasted the previous government for ignoring social audit and said the Jal Jeevan Mission is one prime example of the utter neglect of the previous government. “Several irregularities have taken place in the implementation of that scheme,” he maintained and expressed concern over the over exploitation of groundwater, leading to problems like fluoride, and stressed the need to focus on the recycling of water.