Improvement of greenery and sanitation in villages should be accorded top priority in implementation of the Palle Pragathi programme to foster inclusive growth and all-round development of villages, said Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar.
He was speaking at the Panchayat Raj Sammelan held here on Thursday.
The meeting was attended by all elected representatives of the rural local bodies, including sarpanches, MPTCs, ZPTCs, and MPPs, apart from mandal and district level officials.
Khammam MP Nama Nageswara Rao and Collector R V Karnan were present.
Addressing the gathering, Mr Ajay Kumar said the district secured fourth place in execution of development works initiated under the first two phases of Palle Pragathi programme in the entire State.
All the stakeholders should work cohesively in mission mode to enable the district to bag first place in the next phase of the Palle Pragathi, he suggested.
To sustain and continue the Palle Pragathi endeavour, the government had been releasing ₹339 crore every month to gram panchayats for taking up need-based development works in all villages, he said.
The State government's landmark welfare and development schemes, including Rythu Bandhu, free 24X7 power supply to farm sector and the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project in Jayashankar Bhupalapally district, had earned national and international acclaim, he asserted.
Once completed, the Sitarama Lift Irrigation Project in the composite Khammam district would give a fillip to agricultural production and promote economic prosperity of farmers, he said.
State level flying squads would tour the district to inspect the progress of works launched under Palle Pragathi.
The villages which excelled in the implementation of Palle Pragathi would be suitably rewarded. Action would be taken against elected representatives and officials if their villages lagged behind in timely completion of development works under Palle Pragathi , he added.
Mr Nama Nageswara Rao said Palle Pragathi was being implemented across the State with missionary zeal by drawing inspiration from Mahatma Gandhiji's Gram Swaraj concept.
“Apart from highlighting the development and welfare schemes being implemented by the State government in Parliament, I have invited MPs from different parts of the country to visit the State to gain insights into the landmark schemes heralding all-round development of Telangana,” Mr Rao said.
Collector R V Karnan said the government appointed an Additional Collector for rural local bodies to monitor the status and progress of sanitation and other works taken up under Palle Pragathi on a daily basis.