CM KCR unveils action plan for Telangana villages : Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

CM KCR unveils action plan for Telangana villages

Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

Hans India (01-09-2019)

In a meeting at Pragathi Bhavan held on August 30, 2019 with Several Ministers, Collectors, DPOs, CEOs, MPDOs representing three districts and senior officers Honorable Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao announced to implement the 30-day Special Action Plan in all the villages from Sept 6, for all-round development of villages.

To provide a comprehensive understanding for effective and proper implementation of the Special Action Plan, CM KCR is addressing the broad-based and extended meeting with all concerned Panchayat Raj officers in the State at the Telangana Academy of Rural Development in Hyderabad on third September. Ministers, State level Officers, Collectors, DFOs, ZP CEOs, MPDOs, DPOs, DLOs, MPOs are participating in the meeting. This will be followed by another meeting at the district level for concerned district panchayat officers by Collector to sensitize them on the Action Plan. 

CM announced hike in the wages of 36,000 Safari Karmacharees in the villages, from meagre amounts to Rs 8,500 per month. The CM also announced release Rs 339 Crore per month from out of the Central Planning Commission funds and the State funds to the village panchayats prior to the commencement of the Special Action Plan.

The CM directed the District Collectors to depute one Mandal level officer in each village as in-charge to monitor the Special Action Plan implementation for all the 30 days. The CM also decided to finalise duties and responsibilities of the Mandal and Zilla Parishads after receiving recommendation in this regard from the Collectors to make the local bodies more pro-active.

The CM gave a call that all the concerned should work with dedication, determination and commitment to change the topography of villages for better, with full of greenery and cleanliness, with the planned based development, better utilisation of the funds with prudence and participation of the people with democratic spirit. He said that the 30-days Special Action Plan should pave way to achieve the expected goal of changing the situation in all villages.

The CM said though, initially, it was decided to implement the Special Action Plan for 60 days, but based on feedback from the officials it was changed to 30 days CM said that this effort to develop the villages in a comprehensive manner would be a regular and continuous feature. Based on deliberations in the meeting, CM announced activities to be undertaken and tasks to be fulfilled in the 30-days Special Action Plan.

On the first day, Gram Sabha will be convened, where the participants will be explained in detail about the idea behind, the need, objectives and the importance of the 30-days Special Action Plan as well as process of implementation. People’s participation in the Special Action Plan with the spirit of democracy will be emphasized in the Gram Sabha.

On the second day, Co-option members will be nominated and also formation of Village Standing Committees. Sarpanches’ family members are not eligible to become Co-Option members.

Subsequently, Village Plan will be prepared based on the needs and resources available. It comprises of annual plan and plan for five years. These plans should have the approval of Gram Sabha.

As part of Managing Sanitation removal of dilapidated houses, animal sheds and debris will be taken-up. All the unused borewells will be covered. filling-up and leveling low-lying areas so that water is not stagnated and do not become a breeding place for mosquitoes. All the government buildings, like Schools and Anganwadis, office complexes etc. will be cleaned. Weeding out of wild and unwanted vegetation and plants will be done. Cleaning of roads, repairing drains, cleaning drainages, removal of waste from the drains, bleaching the un-hygienic places, removal of stagnant water, cleaning of market places will be taken-up one after the other.

Villagers are to be encouraged and motivated to participate in Sramadan at least twice a month. Tractors with trollies and tankers to be provided for transport of saplings, removal of the garbage and watering plants.  Space to be identified in all villages for dumping yards and crematoriums which could be either a government land or by way of purchase from Panchayati funds. Cent per cent toilets in the village to be planned.

Telangana ku Haritaharam to be a treated as top priority item. Nurseries to be established in every village for which suitable land to be identified. Technical help to run these nurseries to be obtained from concerned Forest Range Officer. Identification of saplings with the help of the Agriculture Extension officers needed for the Villagers to be done. Gram Panchayat should organize indents for the supply of fruit bearing and flower plants to the households. Gram Panchayat should also identify lands within the gram Panchayat, on the village borders and either side of the roads. Based on these inputs, the gram panchayat should prepare a Green Plan (Haritha Plan) in consultation with the district and mandal green committees. Gram Panchayats besides planting the saplings should also take responsibility for their protection.

As part of Power Week, seven days should exclusively be utilized under the 30-day programme for the electricity related issues. Power usage for street lights in the village to be estimated. A third line for street light to be put-up. Use of LED bulbs to be made obligatory.  The twisted electricity poles are to be rectified and the hanging electricity wires are to be removed. Wood and iron poles are to be replaced with cement poles. Gram Panchayat should ensure that streetlights are off during the daytime and switched on Street lights should be on during nights.

Utilization of funds is very important aspect. Village Panchayats all put together will be provided with funds to a tune of Rs 339 crores per month from both releases of Central Finance Commission and state budget. Besides these the Gram Panchayat will have its own income. 10 Per cent of the funds should be utilized for the greenery component. Funds utilization should be strictly based on one year and five-year plans. Debts if any, salaries booked against village panchayat funds, electricity bills etc. are to be included in charged accounts.  

Chief Minister in the August 30 meeting said that, “Situation in the villages did not improve much despite attaining independence 72 years ago. Despite spending thousands of crores of rupees, in different forms the results are not visible. Village problems are still there. Nobody is taking responsibility for this. Improving conditions in the villages with the people’s participation in true democratic spirit is the need of hour. There should be a qualitative change. This is the reason why we brought in a new Panchayat Raj Act. We have identified clear-cut roles, duties and responsibilities for officials and public representatives. We have also defined as to who should attend to what work. We have given adequate powers to collectors. We have allocated necessary funds in the Budget. Government is committed to implement the Act in true letter and spirit.  Let each villager become the real hero of the village.  30-day action plan is the first step towards this.”

KCR thus unveiled the action plan for development of villages.