Jagan launches Village Secretariat system in State

Opening a new chapter in public administration by inaugurating the Village Secretariat system at Karapa village near Kakinada on Wednesday, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said it was a happy coincidence with the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, who firmly believed that the country would perish if development eluded villages.

Andhra Pradesh became a role model for other States by setting up village and ward secretariats. These institutions would act as a bridge between the government and the people by rendering over 500 types of services at their doorstep, he said, pointing out that they were a major step towards his poll promise of decentralisation of administration.

‘Record effort’

The village and ward secretariats employed over 4.50 lakh people in a record time of four months of the YSR Congress (YSRC) coming to power, he said, observing that the idea of establishing them struck when he found during his ‘Praja Sankalpa Yatra’ that there was a yawning gap between the promises made by the previous government and their delivery.

The CM said people had to bribe the officials to get ration cards or pensions or to avail any welfare scheme. All that would be a thing of the past when the village and ward secretariats start functioning in a full-fledged manner from January 1, 2020, he said.

Mr. Jagan said the Village Secretariats would showcase government programmes and make pictorial representations of government schools and hospitals under the caption ‘then and now’ to show how reforms have changed their functioning.

He said the government’s top priorities were improving the literacy rate and providing facilities in hospitals and schools.

The government’s flagship programme YSR Rythu Bharosa would be implemented from October 15. It would help the farmers overcome the crises plaguing the agriculture sector.

The CM said the government took its promise of imposing total prohibition in phases seriously. The number of liquor outlets was reduced from 4,580 to 3,450 and belt shops across the State were shut down. By Ugadi, house pattas would be given to 25 lakh people, he added.

Deputy Chief Minister Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose and Ministers Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, P. Viswaroop and K. Kanna Babu and MP Vanga Geetha were among those present.

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