Assigned Lands, ‘Swarna’ Rebranding Bills Get AP Assembly Nod

Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Thursday passed two key amendment bills during its ongoing budget session — one enabling the leasing of assigned lands for solar power projects and the other renaming village and ward secretariats as Swarna Gramam and Swarna Ward. The passage of bills signals governance reforms and the government’s green energy goals. Introducing the Assigned Lands Act Amendment Bill, Revenue minister Anagani Satyaprasad said the reform would permit assigned lands to be leased to solar power companies in line with the government’s thrust on green energy.

“Our goal is to bring down carbon emissions to net zero. The state is facilitating the establishment of 10,000 MW of solar power projects,” he pointed out. The minister estimated that the proposed solar projects will generate employment opportunities for nearly 7.5 lakh people. Earlier, assigned lands could not be utilised for such projects. But the amendment would now provide legal backing to leasing them. “Landowners will receive rental income. The lease amount will be revised once every two years,” he pointed out. Satyaprasad underlined that successive governments have assigned nearly 35 lakh acres to the poor so far. Participating in the debate, Sarvepalli MLA Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy pointed out that at many places, assigned lands have already changed hands. Benefits are being cornered by those who have taken over the lands from the poor.

Somireddy requested the government to ensure that lease rentals reach the original beneficiaries. He also sought justice for farmers cultivating orchards on assigned lands. He demanded a comprehensive probe into alleged irregularities in pre-hold land dealings during the previous YSRC regime. In another significant move, the Assembly approved amendments to the Village and Ward Secretariats Act. Panchayat Raj minister Dola Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy, who introduced the bill, said the secretariats would henceforth be known as Swarna Gramam and Swarna Ward, as part of the coalition government’s Swarna Andhra Vision 2047. Veeranjaneya Swamy said the government is restructuring the functions of the secretariats in tune with Vision 2047. He assured promotions for Swarna Gramam and Swarna Ward staff across departments.

Rayadurgam MLA Kalva Srinivasulu said the amendment will help realise the goal of Viksit Andhra Pradesh and psychologically prepare people for transformative growth. He suggested appointment of horticulture experts in Rayalaseema, given the region’s focus on horticultural crops. Visakhapatnam West MLA Gana Babu said Viksit Bharat and Swarna Andhra 2047 are the NDA government’s guiding objectives. He pointed out that the P4 programme is being implemented through secretariats. He sought clarity on the governing authority for secretariat staff.