In a groundbreaking initiative, the Andhra Pradesh (AP) government is launching the “Swarn Gram Panchayat” program to promote sustainable village development through Gram Panchayats. This novel program will concentrate on four key areas of rural development, aiming to rejuvenate neglected village panchayats throughout the state.
On 23 August 2024, Konidala Pawan Kalyan, the state’s Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Panchayat Raj, held simultaneous gram sabhas across 13,326 village panchayats. This event will mark the official launch of this ambitious Swarn Gram Panchayat program.
Today, across the entire state, 13,326 "Gram Sabhas" will be organized simultaneously. On this historic occasion, we request everyone to participate in your respective panchayat's Gram Sabhas and contribute to the comprehensive progress and self-governance of your villages.… pic.twitter.com/FafKyIV8e7
— JanaSena Party (@JanaSenaParty) August 23, 2024
At a press conference at his camp office in Mangalagiri on 22 August 2024, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan announced that 87 projects under the MGNREGS program had been approved, totalling an investment of ₹4,500 crores. He also mentioned that the meetings will finalize the action plan for generating 9.54 crore man-days under MGNREGS.
He highlighted that Andhra Pradesh is the second state to implement the Panchayat system and is now introducing second-generation reforms to enhance it. Reaffirming the state government’s pledge to strengthen the Panchayat Raj system, Pawan Kalyan noted that funding for national festival celebrations at the panchayat level has recently been increased a hundredfold. Pawan Kalyan emphasized that the Gram Sabha meetings are designed to be more than mere formalities; they will embody the essence of democracy by making collective decisions aligned with the 73rd Constitutional Amendment’s goal of self-rule and self-sufficiency.
Pawan Kalyan emphasized that “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,” and stressed that officers must handle their responsibilities with utmost care to ensure the successful conduct of the Gram Sabha.
He criticized the previous administration led by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, alleging that the Panchayat Raj system was mismanaged and that MGNREGS projects were not implemented despite allocating central funds. He claimed that between 2019 and 2023, ₹40,579 crore was released under MGNREGS without yielding visible results, citing misuse during the COVID-19 pandemic and a significant drop in panchayat revenues.
Pawan Kalyan pledged to transform panchayats into wealth-generating entities by utilizing vacant village lands and promoting local specialities, such as handlooms, crafts, or food. He emphasized that women’s empowerment will be a crucial aspect of village development, and social forestry will also be explored as a source of income.
He also criticized the previous government for neglecting social audits and pointed to issues with the Jal Jeevan Mission, citing irregularities and concerns about groundwater exploitation. He stressed the importance of water recycling in addressing problems such as fluoride contamination.
(With inputs from TNIE)
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