Pawan Kalyan's plan: A dedicated secretary for every village

Andhra Pradesh's Deputy Chief Minister, Pawan Kalyan, who holds the portfolios for Panchayati Raj and Rural Development, has announced a significant administrative reform aimed at restructuring the state's panchayat system. The new plan involves categorizing panchayats into four distinct grades, with the goal of ensuring that every village has a dedicated and properly-staffed administrative body, from the secretary level down.

During a presentation attended by senior officials from the Panchayati Raj, Rural Development, General Administration, Finance, and Law departments, Pawan Kalyan articulated the need for this overhaul. He pointed out that the current administrative model is severely outdated, having remained largely unchanged for the past 48 years. He criticized the existing cluster system, where a single secretary is burdened with the responsibility for two or three village panchayats. This inefficiency, he argued, has become a major obstacle to the progress of these rural governance bodies.

The new grading system represents a more holistic approach to rural development. Previously, a panchayat’s grade was determined almost exclusively by its income. The new model will incorporate a broader set of criteria, including population size, whether it serves as a mandal center, its status as a tribal area, and its overall income. This multi-faceted analysis is expected to create a more equitable system that better reflects the needs and challenges of each panchayat.

By implementing these changes, the government aims to bridge the gap between rural and urban areas by providing urban-level facilities in the villages. The reorganization is also intended to streamline panchayat offices, making civil services more accessible and efficient for rural residents. Pawan Kalyan reiterated the coalition government’s commitment to prioritizing the welfare of people in villages by providing them with better facilities and more responsive governance. Here are the four key points regarding the new panchayat grading system:

• Division into Four Grades: Panchayats will be categorized into four distinct grades.

• New Criteria: The grading will now be based on a combination of factors, including population, mandal center status, tribal/tribal leader area, and income . This moves away from the previous system which relied solely on income.

• Improved Staffing: The new system aims to provide a dedicated secretary-level officer and staff for every panchayat, ending the inefficient cluster system where one secretary managed multiple villages.

• Goal: The primary objective is to streamline civil services, provide urban-level facilities in rural areas, and improve overall governance.