Pawan Kalyan stressed the importance of community involvement in village development, urging residents to maintain cleanliness and protect common village property.
Visakhapatnam: Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan has launched an innovative village outreach initiative called Mana Ooru - Mata Manthi (Our Village - Our Interaction) programme by sanctioning Rs.15 crore for development of Ravivalasa village in Tekkali mandal.
The launch was done in online mode at a cinema theatre in Tekkali constituency on Thursday. Kalyan interacted with around 300 villagers via the screen to understand their problems and offer them immediate solutions.
During the session, PK announced sanctions for multiple development projects, including 14CC roads, four canals, a dobighat (bathing ghat), a bus shelter, school compound facilities, improvements to two cemeteries and de-silting of the village pond.
"The main purpose behind the Mana Ooru - Mata Manthi programme is not that the government would spend funds and undertake development programmes. Participation and unity are very necessary for all the people," he stated during the programme.
The deputy CM stressed the importance of community involvement in village development, urging residents to maintain cleanliness and protect common village property. He emphasized water conservation, calling on villagers to set up cisterns at every house during the rainy season to prevent water wastage and increase groundwater levels.
"If government vacant lands are levelled and turned into playgrounds, children do not get used to cell phones and play. They can increase their fitness," he said.
Agriculture minister Kinjarapu Atchennaidu, who participated in the programme, praised the innovative approach and noted that the government has now been providing infrastructure facilities in rural areas. He mentioned that the NREG scheme’s material component is being utilized to link various infrastructure projects.
Villagers raised several concerns during the interaction, including unauthorised construction without proper drainage, inadequate roads to cemeteries, lack of steps to the Pushkarini (temple tank) and difficulties faced by devotees during religious festivals like Karthika Mondays and Mahashivratri.
District collector Swapnil Pundkar said a survey would be conducted for road widening at an estimated cost of `3 crore under the employment guarantee scheme. He also revealed that 25 cisterns are being sanctioned for the village to improve water conservation.
Addressing the issue of water quality in the region, particularly in the Uddanam area where groundwater is polluted, PK said drinking water would be supplied through pipelines or tanks until the Jal Jeevan Mission water infrastructure is ready.
Later, the deputy CM who handles the Panchayat Raj and rural development department said the Panchayat Raj and Rural Development department has launched an innovative initiative called Maata-Manthi to revolutionize “participatory rural development.”
“Through this digital platform, I had the privilege of engaging directly with the villagers from my camp office, creating a bridge between administrative leadership and grassroots communities,” PK said.
