World Records Union recognition for Andhra’s gram sabhas

Amaravati, Sep 16 : Andhra Pradesh has received global recognition from World Records Union for organising 13,326 gram sabhas or village-level meetings across the state in a single day.

The state government had undertaken the programme under the Panchayati Raj Rural Development Department on August 23.

The World Records Union has recognised this feat by the state government.

The record document and the medal were handed over to Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan in Hyderabad on Monday by Christopher Taylor Croft, Official Records Manager of the World Records Union.

The organisation has recognised gram sabhas held in a single day with public participation as the largest village governance.

The gram sabhas organised on August 23 had sanctioned 87 types of projects with an outlay of nearly Rs 4,500 crore under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).

The meetings held in all 13,326 gram panchayats across the state, passed resolutions approving various works.

Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, who holds the portfolio of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development, launched the programme at Mysooravaripalli village in Railway Kuduru mandal of Annamayya district.

Officials of the Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Department finalised the works under the aegis of the sarpanches and with the direct involvement of the people.

According to officials, sanctioning works worth Rs 4,500 crore in one day is a world record.

They said 87 types of works under MGNREGS will create nine crore man-days that would benefit 54 lakh families.

Pawan Kalyan had said that the state’s development and ‘golden villages’ were his goal.

The actor-politician said gram panchayats should hold four gram sabhas every year to discuss what should be done for the development of the villages.

He claimed that the state government has undertaken the programme by rising above politics.

He pointed out that 70 per cent of the panchayats were ruled by the YSR Congress Party but the government was taking up works in all panchayats.