The Government of Andhra Pradesh will set up an independent body headed by a CEO to monitor the progress of government’s flagship “Smart Village/Smart Ward” program, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said today.
In a tele-conference with 8,000 people, who have come forward to partner with AP under this initiative, the Chief Minister asked them to contribute to the “Smart Village/Smart Ward” program on humanitarian grounds. He also invited partners to support the State government’s efforts to raise the living standards of the rural people by following the 20 non-negotiable indicators drafted under the program. Some of the key indicators include 24×7 power, gas, road and drinking water, individual household toilets, 100% literacy, no maternal or infant deaths, broadband connectivity, no child marriages among others. Naidu said based on the partner’s expertise, they could help the government in achieving all the 20 indicators or work sector-wise.
After the government invited NRIs, NRVs (Non-Resident Villagers), Industrialists, Ministers, MPs, MLAs, celebrities, IAS, IPS and IFS officers to adopt villages, 7,978 General Partners and 4,767 Sector Partners have been identified for the development of their adopted villages/wards. In this regard, the Chief Minister appreciated the 600 active partners, who have already completed a baseline survey of their respective adopted villages and wards.
The Chief Minister also recognized their gesture of spending nearly Rs 300 crore on modernization works in their respective villages/wards. In order to generate funds to support the initiative, he suggested mobilizing funds through Corporate Social Responsibility activities. “We have also launched a web portal for real-time monitoring”, the Chief Minister added. Meanwhile, Naidu said people, who have done extraordinary work will be recognized and awarded during Sankranti festival. (NSS)