7 Telangana villages in top-10: Errabelli Dayakar Rao

Warangal: Indicating the phenomenal success of Palle Pragathi, a flagship programme of the State government to empower rural areas, seven of the top 10 villages in Telangana have been selected as Adarsh villages under the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY), Union Ministry of Rural Development.

Minister for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Errabelli Dayakar Rao said that Telangana not only topped but also clinched the first rank as well with Vennampally village under Saidapur mandal in Karimnagar scoring 90.25 percent in the criterion for the Adarsh village. Incidentally, all the seven villages (four from Karimnagar and three from Nizamabad) have been adopted by the Telangana MPs.

Supply of protected drinking water through Mission Bhagiratha, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's brainchild, and the developmental activity covered under the Palle Pragathi programme (plantation), nurseries, dumping yards, sanitation, providing tractors to all gram panchayats, Vaikuntadhamams, Palle Prakruthi Vanams etc have made villages self-sufficient, Errabelli said. KCR made it possible by releasing funds regularly, he said.

"Some time ago we used to point out Gangadevipally in Warangal district as one of the best model villages in the country. It attracted visitors from across the country and abroad. Against this backdrop, Palle Pragathi has become a game changer. Ever since the State government started to implement the Palle Pragathi programme, the total scenario is now changed as almost all the villages are now transforming into Gangadevipally," Errabelli said.

The Minister lauded the MPs who adopted villages that have made it to the top in the country. He also commended the staff of Panchayat Raj and Rural Development, Sarpanches and members for their efforts. In all, 35 villages of Telangana figured in the total 280 villages selected under SAGY.