13,326 ‘gram sabhas’ to be held in State from today: Dy CM

Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan stated that the coalition government will provide transparent and accountable governance to the people across the State and is progressing according to the plan with the long-term aim of strengthening the panchayats.
The Deputy Chief Minister mentioned that for the first time in the country, ‘gram sabhas’ will be held in 13,326 gram panchayats from August 23 across the State and informed that the people of the respective gram panchayats will pass resolutions on the development works to be undertaken through the employment guarantee scheme in the villages.
He explained that as part of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural  Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), 87 types of work will be undertaken in villages with funds of Rs 4,500 crore.
Addressing the media here on Thursday, the Deputy CM said that by implementing this scheme, 54 lakh families will gain employment for 9 crore working days.
He further explained that on the 23rd of this month, the Gram Sabhas in all 13,326 Gram Panchayats will convene to discuss the work to be undertaken in the villages under the Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, with the joint support of the Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Departments.
The Deputy CM stated that Andhra Pradesh is the second state in the country to have established the Panchayat system more than three decades ago. We are surveying 16 items on the water condition in the panchayats. The survey has been completed in 22 lakh houses. Once this is completed across the state, there will be clarity on the water sources in all panchayats. We will then proceed to address the water problem according to a plan.
Quoting Mahatma Gandhi that the roots and life of India lie in the countryside, Pawan said that with the support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and under the leadership of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, everyone should take responsibility for making the state’s panchayats self-reliant. Alleging that panchayats were weakened under the previous government, he said that NREGA funds of Rs 40,579 crores were received during the previous administration from 2019 to 2023, but these funds were used indiscriminately. He stated that until 2014-19, the income of panchayats across the state was Rs 240 crores, but in the years 2019-23, that income decreased significantly to only Rs 170 crores.
Saying that we will recognise the uniqueness of panchayats and generate revenue, Pawan Kalyan noted that our villages are renowned for their arts, food preparation, cloth making, and other crafts. He said, “Flowers are famous in Anandapuram in Visakhapatnam district. Araku coffee is unique. Mangalagiri sarees, Lepakshi in Sathyasai district, Vetapalem village in Bapatla, Chilakalapudi, and Kondapalli in Krishna district are known for their handicrafts. We will identify and highlight their special features in the gram sabhas and promote them.”