VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has introduced a strategic “Mentorship” framework to streamline governance in Andhra Pradesh, tasking high-performing District Collectors with guiding the statewide implementation of local success stories.
The initiative makes these pioneering officers subject-matter experts to help replicate effective models across all 28 districts, marking a functional shift in how successful administration is scaled.
At the 7th Collectors’ Conference held recently, Naidu designated 10 Collectors as mentors for nine specific innovative projects. This model aims to foster a culture of peer-to-peer learning to ensure that proven solutions in welfare and service delivery are scaled efficiently.
The Chief Minister noted that by adopting these best practices, the administration can deliver better results at a lower cost while strengthening public trust.
Providing clarity on the functional nature of the mentors’ role, I&PR Commissioner KS Viswanathan told the TNIE that the setup is designed for collaboration rather than control. “It will be more like advisory, combined with sharing best practices. There will be a nodal department where a mentor Collector will act as the model Collector. As they have already achieved some success in the concept, they will invite other Collectors to their respective districts for training,” he said.
He added that these mentor Collectors may also have to visit other districts at least once to provide guidance and hand-holding support during implementation.
Case studies on several drives presented by dist collectors
The progress of this mentorship model is slated for a formal review in three months at the next Collectors’ Conference.
During the conference, several Collectors presented detailed case studies, including Srikakulam’s Swabhimaan grievance programme for persons with disabilities, West Godavari’s Circular Economy blueprint converting farm and aquaculture waste into bio-products alongside a women-led cocoa-to-chocolate initiative, Palnadu’s Swarna Grama Arogya Darshini village health scheme, and Tirupati’s Shettipalli Model Township developed through land pooling.
Naidu underlined that this system is intended to create a culture of efficiency and transparency, and revealed that a Cabinet sub-committee has been constituted to study Singapore’s governance practices.
