Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday announced that plans were afoot to ensure that 16,000 villages were adopted by an equal number of prominent people under the ‘Smart Village’ programme.
At a review meeting with officials on ‘Smart Village/ Smart ward and Smart Andhra Pradesh’ concept paper here, he said 36 backward mandals would be given priority. He said 309 villages with more than 10,000 people were already selected. In all, the adoption programme would be taken up in 16,383 villages in 670 mandals.
The list of the villages being adopted would be released on January 1 and the programme would be kicked off on January 5.
Expressing his anguish that villages have become like ‘old age homes’ with nobody, except the elderly people living there, he said the ‘Smart Village’ programme was aimed at bringing a change in the situation. The objective was to transform the rural landscape and give a new direction to villages.
He said by generating economic activity in villages, the attention of youth could be diverted towards them. The ‘Smart Village’ activity encompasses both economic and social activities. He urged prominent industrialists and NRIs to help in providing basic amenities needed at village level. There should be strong leadership in villages to monitor implementation of several Central and State schemes.
Listing out various elements that would contribute towards making a Smart village which include building toilets, roads, reducing MMR and IMR, increasing enrolment in schools and providing clean drinking water, he said health, nutrition, environment protection, waste management, solar and biogas should be integrated.