rural development – Artifex.News

VB G RAM G to drive El Nino mitigation plan in Telangana

admin — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 13:49:00 +0000

A farm pond under Settipalli Gram Panchayat limits in Gundala mandal, Bhadradri Kothagudem district. (file pic)

The Panchayat Raj and Rural Development department is gearing up to mitigate the impact of the anticipated El Nino conditions by strengthening water conservation initiatives, improving groundwater resources and creating enhanced employment opportunities for job card holders under the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission-Gramin (VB G RAM G).

According to official sources, the department will take up the construction of 9.60 lakh soak pits, 25,000 farm ponds, 5,000 percolation tanks and 5,000 borewell recharge structures as part of large-scale water conservation works over the next three months under the “Telangana Jalasiri” programme. The construction of buildings for gram panchayats (GPs), village organisations (VOs) and Anganwadi centres will also be expedited.

Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Danasari Anasuya said programmes would also be organised in all districts on Monday (July 20) to create awareness among people about the adverse impact of El Nino.

On the other hand, the department has set a target of generating 12 crore person-days of employment during the current financial year ending March 31, 2027. “Of this, 4.5 crore person-days are planned between July and October, considering the dry spell conditions that are likely to affect agricultural operations. While nearly 2.5 lakh labourers are currently being provided work every day, we have directed officials to increase the number to about five lakh daily,” she said after holding a review meeting with senior officials of the Panchayat Raj and Rural Development department on Sunday (July 19). She added that the person-day target would be increased if the El Nino conditions worsened.

“Priority is being given to women members of self-help groups (SHGs) who own agricultural land for the construction of farm ponds,” the Minister said.

The action plan has been prepared against the backdrop of forecasts indicating a decline in groundwater levels due to below-normal rainfall. The State’s average groundwater level stood at 9.46 metres below ground level (mbgl) in June 2026 and is projected to decline to 10.35 mbgl in July and 11.01 mbgl in August if the State records an overall rainfall deficit of around 30%. The highest fall in groundwater levels are expected in districts such as Vikarabad, Medak, Sangareddy, Nizamabad, Siddipet and Kamareddy.

Published – July 19, 2026 07:19 pm IST

Source link

23 Andhra villages secure ISO certification for quality citizen services, administration

admin — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 07:03:00 +0000

Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Panchayat Raj & Rural Development K. Pawan Kalyan. File
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

A total of 23 Gram Panchayats in Andhra Pradesh have achieved ISO 9001:2015 certification for rendering quality citizen services and efficient administration.

Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Panchayat Raj & Rural Development K. Pawan Kalyan said the international certification was a testament to the good governance in villages and expressed hope that those 23 GPs would serve as an inspiration to the more than 13,000 GPs to raise the standards of service and administration.

He noted that efficient implementation of citizen charters and grievance redressal systems, provision of drinking water facilities, accessible infrastructure for persons with disabilities, displaying information boards, digitisation of records, scientific processing of documents and conduct of internal audits and regular reviews enabled the GPs to achieve the ISO certification.

These GPs have set a global benchmark for people — centric, transparent and accountable good governance at the village level, he added.

The 9001:2015 certified GPs are Dharma Sagaram (Anakapalli district), Kanekallu and Kakkalapalli (Anantapur), Pileru (Annamayya), Medarametla (Bapatla), Pasupula and Gonegandla (Kurnool), Karvetinagaram (Chittoor), Ravulapalem and Komaragiripatnam (Konaseema), Komaripalem (East Godavari), Podalakuru (Nellore), Edlapadu (Palnadu), Kurupam (Parvathipuram Manyam), Pamuru (Prakasam), Chilamatthuru (Sri Sathya Sai), Santhabommali (Srikakulam), Menakuru (Tirupati), S.R.Puram and Vellanki (Visakhapatnam), Kondapalem and Cheepurupalli (Vizianagaram) and Ganapavaram (West Godavari).

Published – July 18, 2026 12:33 pm IST

Source link

Budget 2024: Spending on rural development increases marginally, but not all schemes benefit | Data

admin — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 12:14:24 +0000

Rural development schemes: Workers engaged in the MNREGS works at Siddharampuram in Anantapur district.
| Photo Credit: Prasad RVS

In FY25, the government is expected to spend ₹2,65,808 crore on rural development. The allocation marginally increased by ₹26,824 crore, when compared with the revised estimates for the year FY24. However, the increase in the overall spending on rural development, when compared with the revised estimates, is not equally distributed among the major schemes that feature under this umbrella.

For instance, in absolute terms, the government is expected to spend ₹86,000 crore in FY25 on the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the same amount when compared with FY24 revised estimates. This is one of the major schemes of the Rural Development Ministry which aims to enhance the livelihood security of rural households by providing at least one hundred days of guaranteed wage employment.

The government is expected to spend ₹2,027 crore on the Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS), the same amount when compared with FY24 revised estimates. Under the scheme central assistance is provided to widows in the age group of 40-79 years and belonging to families living below the poverty line

The government is expected to spend ₹12,000 crore on the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in FY25, a decrease of ₹5,000 crore compared with FY24 revised estimates. The scheme provides all-weather road connectivity to all eligible habitations of the designated population size.

On the other hand, in absolute terms, the government is expected to spend ₹54,500 crore on Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana Gramin (PMAYG), an increase of ₹22,500 crore when compared with FY24 (revised estimates). The scheme aims to provide housing, with basic amenities, to poorer sections of society in rural areas.

The government is expected to spend ₹15,047 crore on Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana- National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), an increase of ₹918 crore compared with FY24 (revised estimates). The scheme aims to organise rural poor women into Self Help Groups and support them till they attain an appreciable increase in incomes over a period of time.

The government is expected to spend ₹6,646 crore on the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS), a marginal increase of ₹11.5 crore when compared with FY24 revised estimates. Under the scheme, assistance is provided to persons of 60 years and above and belonging to families living below the poverty line.

While the above data compares the allocations in absolute terms, it is more prudent to compare the spending as a share of the total Budget allocated in each year.

Chart 1 shows the allocation to rural development as a share of the total Budget, across years.

Charts appear incomplete? Click to remove AMP mode

In FY25, the government is expected to spend 5.58% of its total Budget on rural development. The share increased from 5.32% in FY24 (revised estimates). Despite the increase from last fiscal year, the allocation share did not cross the 6% mark as it did in FY22, FY21, and FY18.

Chart 2 shows the allocations for MGNREGA, IGNWPS, PMGSY and IGNOAPS as a share of the total Budget, across years.

In FY25, the government is expected to spend 1.8% of its total Budget on MGNREGA — the lowest in at least the last nine years. In FY25, the government is expected to spend 0.04% of its total Budget on IGNWPS — the lowest in at least the last nine years. In FY25, the government is expected to spend 0.25% of its total Budget on PMGSY — the lowest in at least the last nine years. In FY25, the government is expected to spend 0.14% of its total Budget on IGNOAPS — the lowest in at least the last nine years.

Chart 3 shows the allocations for PMAYG and DAY-NRLM as a share of the total Budget, across years.

In FY25, the government is expected to spend 1.14% of its total Budget on PMAYG — the highest in at least the last nine years. In FY25, the government is expected to spend 0.32% of its total Budget on DAY-NRLM — the second highest in at least the last nine years.

So, in terms of allocations as a percentage of the total Budget, the share has decreased in four schemes and increased in two schemes, even while rural development’s overall allocation as a share of the Budget has increased.

Also read:Interim Budget 2024 | Net zero gain for MGNREGS

Source link