DDO System Launched To Strengthen Village-Level Governance

Tirupati: The government on Thursday opened 77 Divisional Development Offices (DDOs) across the state with an aim to strengthen village-level governance.

Deputy Chief Minister and Panchayati Raj Minister K. Pawan Kalyan launched the offices from Chittoor in online mode.

Kalyan said the new system would support the idea of Gram Swaraj envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi and make village self-governance more effective. The NDA government, he said, was focusing on reforms to reinforce panchayat raj institutions, with support from the central government and guidance from the Chief Minister.

Kalyan said the new DDOs, formed in line with the 73rd constitutional amendment, would accommodate divisional development officers, divisional-level panchayat officers (DLPO), additional project directors (APD), DWAMA officials and other staff.

This setup, he said, would allow panchayats to function independently and respond more effectively to local needs. It would enable better monitoring of development and welfare activities.

Kalyan said earlier there were several issues related to promotions in the departments. Even Group-I officers appointed as mandal parishad development officers (MPDOs) were waiting up to 22 years for advancement due to seniority complications. The present government resolved these problems and gave promotions to over 10,000 employees.

This apart, the zilla parishad and district panchayat wings were merged, and DPO-level posts were upgraded to deputy director rank.

He said the government has abolished 7,244 clusters and reorganised 13,350 gram panchayats as self-governing units. Each panchayat now has a panchayat secretary, while villages with over 10,000 population have been given a gazette-rank panchayat development officer (PDO).

The earlier five grades of panchayat secretaries were streamlined into three and redesignated as PDOs. A dedicated IT wing was also created to improve the department’s functioning, he said.

Panchayat Raj Commissioner K.T. Mailavarapu said GO-Ms 57 and 58 were issued as part of the reforms. The revenue and police departments already had divisional offices, while the Panchayat Raj department did not have these until now.

The new posts may also be filled through Group-I recruitment, creating new opportunities for job seekers, he said.

Chittoor district collector Sumit Kumar said the new DDOs would improve efficiency by giving officers powers similar to APDs and DLDOs, enabling them to review schemes like MGNREGS. Chittoor’s four revenue divisions would get G+1 office buildings funded by the Zilla Parishad. Coordination between MPDOs and DDOs would help strengthen district-level development.