Work to leave a mark in history, sarpanches told

Minister for Panchayat Raj and RWS Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu and HRD Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao handing over a cheque and a plaque as part of the Nirmal Gram Panchayat Puraskar-2013 to sarpanch of Depperla village in Atchyutapuram mandal in Visakhapatnam district at a function in Visakhapatnam on Saturday. District Collector N. Yuvaraj and Yelamanchili MLA P. Ramesh Babu are seen. —Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam

Commending the sarpanches of 27 villages in the State which won the Nirmal Gram Puraskar for the year 2013, Minister for Panchayati Raj and Rural Water Supply Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu has asked them to work with dedication and be an inspiration for others.

“There are many assets that could be created in a village and it requires thinking out of the box,” the Minister said, speaking at the programme organised to present Nirmal Gram Puraskar-2013 here on Saturday. A young sarpanch in West Godavari district laid underground drainage for the entire village and told the shocked Minister that it was not at all expensive but, in fact, cheaper than open drains, Mr. Ayyanna Patrudu recalled, and later showed a presentation on the subject.

The Department of Rural Water Supply and Sewerage had invited enthusiastic sarpanches from each district to attend the prize-giving ceremony with an objective to inspire them so that they, in turn, would inspire others in their district, the Minister said. The awards for 2013 could not be given away earlier due to bifurcation blues and were being given away this year at the insistence of the Centre, the Minister explained. Listing the priorities of the government for achieving Swacch Bharat, the Minister said that his department was focusing on garbage disposal, ending open defecation, cement roads, and drinking water supply.

While each village would be provided a garbage dump, each mandal would have a major garbage sorting yard. Noting that 9,000 of the 13,000 gram panchayats had sent a resolution seeking setting up of garbage dumps, he found fault with the officials for not acting upon the resolutions that had been received.

HRD Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao, chairpersons of West Godavari and Srikakulam ZPs, MLAs — KSNS Raju, P. Ramesh Babu, V. Ramakrishna Babu, and Vishnu Kumar Raju, Principal Secretary, Panchayati Raj and Rural Development, K.S. Jawahar Reddy, Commissioner, Panchayati Raj and Rural Development, B. Ramanjaneyulu, District Collectors N. Yuvaraj and Kantilal Dande were present.

Sarpanches of 27 villages in the State win Nirmal Gram Puraskar for the year 2013