Andhra Pradesh's Deputy Chief Minister, Pawan Kalyan, has publicly commended the state's district collectors for their successful execution of crucial rural development initiatives. Speaking at the fifth collectors' conference in Vijayawada on Wednesday, he urged the administrative officers to maintain this momentum in rolling out all government programmes consistently.
Substantial Progress in Rural Infrastructure
Kalyan highlighted the significant accomplishments of the rural development department over the past year. He pointed out that improving road connectivity to tribal habitations was a major focus under the Adavi Thalli Baata initiative. The Palle Panduga 1.0 programme was completed on schedule, resulting in the construction of 4,000 kilometres of cement roads using funds from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).
Beyond roads, this ambitious programme also led to the creation of 22,500 mini gokulams (cattle sheds), 15,000 water troughs, and 1.2 lakh farm ponds, substantially boosting rural infrastructure and supporting agricultural and animal husbandry activities.
Employment Generation and Expanding Initiatives
The deputy chief minister presented impressive figures on employment generation. In the 2025–26 financial year, the MGNREGS provided jobs to 41.12 lakh households across the state. This effort generated a staggering 19.95 crore person-days of work. The financial outlay was substantial, with ₹4,330 crore disbursed as wages to workers and an additional ₹1,057 crore allocated for materials.
Kalyan also noted the rapid expansion of the Swachh Ratham programme. Launched in June with just one unit, the initiative has now grown to 25 operational units, accelerating sanitation efforts in rural areas.
Focus on Self-Reliance and Service Delivery
The minister emphasised the ongoing efforts to make village panchayats financially self-reliant by developing their own revenue sources. He directed collectors to prioritise the digitisation of both tax and non-tax revenue assignments to improve efficiency and transparency.
Pawan Kalyan revealed that Andhra Pradesh has secured the top rank in the country for training programmes conducted under the Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA), with capacity-building activities continuing at the village level.
He specifically praised individual collectors for their proactive work. The Parvathipuram Manyam district collector was lauded for securing all nine necessary forest clearances for development projects. Similarly, the Alluri Sitharama Raju district collector received recognition for clearing 79 out of 88 project proposals.
In his concluding remarks, the deputy chief minister urged all district collectors to keep service delivery in rural areas as their foremost priority, ensuring that the benefits of government schemes reach the last mile effectively and promptly.
