Upcoming ZP Polls to Follow New District Map: Pawan
He said the government was making necessary preparations for the move and clarified that there were no legal hurdles in reorganising panchayats in line with the new district structure
VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh government is planning to conduct the upcoming Zilla Parishad (ZP) elections based on the newly reorganised districts, Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan informed the AP Legislative Assembly on Thursday.
He said the government was making necessary preparations for the move and clarified that there were no legal hurdles in reorganising panchayats in line with the new district structure. The coalition government, he said, was committed to strengthening local bodies and had taken steps soon after assuming office to empower them.
Addressing environmental concerns, Pawan Kalyan said alternatives were being explored whenever trees were removed for road widening or other development works, and the government is also considering a strong law to ensure long-term protection of greenery.
Pawan Kalyan announced that every sapling distributed or planted by the forest department would be geo-tagged, with a dedicated monitoring system starting from nurseries. Advanced practices followed in Bengaluru nurseries are being studied.
Pawan Kalyan also presented the 2026–27 Budget proposals, seeking `15,485 crore for Panchayat Raj, `11,217 crore for rural development, and `713 crore for the forest, environment, science, and technology departments.