Take Palle Pragathi forward with same spirit: KCR
Officials directed to focus on leftout villages where targets not achieved; top priority for increasing greenery
Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Tuesday directed the officials concerned to take forward the Palle Pragathi programme in villages with the same spirit and zeal since the unique initiative of the State government had changed the rural landscape of Telangana State.
Expressing satisfaction with the progress made under Palle Pragathi programme that had transformed Telangana villages into role models for others across the country, the Chief Minister, addressing a high-level meeting at Pragathi Bhavan here, said said that the objectives of the programme had been achieved. However, in some village where the programme targets were not achieved, efforts should be made to complete it immediately, he said.
Stating that the situation in villages can now be assessed as before Palle Pragathi and after Palle Pragathi, Chandrashekhar Rao urged all the legislators to take a special interest and review works under the programme. He particularly congratulated Panchayat Raj Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao, Panchayat Raj Department officials, representatives of local bodies, sarpanches and secretaries for making the programme a grand success.
“The government wanted to ensure clean and green villages through the Palle Pragathi programme. This target has been achieved cent percent. Telangana villages have become synonymous with cleanliness and greenery. As part of the programme, unused wells have been closed, unwanted trees and garbage have been removed, sanitisation improved and when water no longer stagnates, mosquito menace too came down drastically,” he said, adding that due to sanitation programmes taken up under Palle Pragathi, there were fewer cases of dengue and malaria cases in the villages.
The targets fixed by the government such as setting up nurseries in every village, construction of Vaikunta Dhamams, arrangment of tractor-trolleys and tankers for garbage collection, supply of safe drinking water through Mission Bhagiratha to every household have been met. Creation of village dump yards and natural forests, making threshing grounds in agriculture fields, construction of individual toilets have almost been fulfilled now, he said, and pointed out that no other village in any other State can boast of so many facilities.
“In the past, governance and maintenance of sanitation was in a bad shape in villages. The State government brought in a new Panchayat Raj Act to transform the villages. Administrative reforms were brought in the governance. Thandas and Gudems were upgraded made into special panchayats. Every village has a Village Secretary, and funds are regularly given for Palle Pragathi,” Chandrashekhar Rao said.
Pointing out that the State was matching grants with that of the Central Finance Commission for Gram Panchayats, he said that even during Covid-19 pandemic, the State released the required funds to Panchayats by cutting cost in other areas. “There is no dearth of funds for panchayats that are also given the required powers to run administer. In the past, drinking water supply was a big problem. Thanks to Mission Bhagiratha, villages now have no problem with regard to supply of drinking water. They need not spend money on drinking water. They are paying their electricity bills as they have no problem with funds,” he said, and observed that 90 per cent of the villages had efficient sarpanches. “A majority of them are educated and young, and hence, are working with dedication and commitment for their village development,” the Chief Minister said, adding that through Palle Pragathi and support of the government, villages were marching forward towards progress and development.
“As part of Palle Pragathi, top priority should be given to increase green cover in villages. “For the first time in the country, only Telangana has set up nurseries as part of increasing green cover in villages. We have plant nurseries in 12,770 habitations, and we have created natural forests in every village. We have fixed target of 19,595 natural forests in villages and of this, we have completed the process in 18,968 habitations. We have to develop these natural forests for more utility. Set up walking tracks, open gyms and cement benches for people to relax,” he said.
“The government has provided tractor with trolley and tanker to carry garbage and supply water to plants in all the villages. This has resulted in effectively executing the greenery and sanitation works in villages. The government also decided to create dumping yard in all the villages and land for the purpose has been identified in 12,734 villages and works are going on, and construction of Vaikunta Dhamams is going on in 12,738 villages. In the coming two or three months, all the graveyards should come into use,” the Chief Minister said.
Stating that Telangana should be declared open defecation-free State, he said that many villages had achieved cent percent toilets. “Where it has not been achieved, place a condition that house plan should have toilet facility before it is given permission,” he said.
“Telangana is the first State in the country to utilise funds released under MGNERGA scheme for public utilities. Under Employment Guarantee Scheme, the State, besides providing employment to the agriculture labour, has also taken up public utilities programme. The target for this year for employment days is 11 crore while the State has already accounted for 14 crore days. By the end of this financial year, there is possibility of touching 20 crore mandays in the State,” Chandrashekhar Rao said, adding that was a matter of pride for all that Central government teams visiting the State heap praise on the works undertaken in Telangana.
Ministers Dayakar Rao, Vemula Prashanth Reddy, Rythu Bandhu State President Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, Chief Advisor Rajiv Sharma, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, former Ministers Redya Naik, C Laxma Reddy, Government Chief Whips Guvvala Balraju, Gongadi Sunitha, MLAs Koneru Konappa, Jeevan Reddy, Marri Janardhan Reddy, Soyam Babu Rao, Abraham, Chirumarthi Lingaiah, Krishna Mohan Reddy, Nannapuneni Narender, Principal Secretaries Ramakrishna Rao, Sandeep Sultania, Panchayat Raj Commissioner Raghunandan Rao and others participated in the meeting.
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