District Collectors get local powers: Naidu

Hyderabad, May 23 (INN): In a first-of-its-kind, Andhra Pradesh government has decided to give regulatory authority to the district collectors. This decision which will see an overhaul of the administration will ensure transparency.

Following the Collectors' Conference on Friday, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu convened a meeting with district collectors at Secretariat today. He appreciated district collectors for their effective management and suggested them to fine tune their strategies for implementation of government schemes.

Collectors and ministers must work together, the Chief Minister said, emphasising on bringing in effective workforce. For this, he directed the collectors to work in active collaboration with Janmabhoomi - MaaVooru Village committees to ensure public satisfaction.

The Chief Minister added that Singapore's participation in the capital construction has been possible due to the credibility the state holds. He added that the Collectors and Ministers must ensure the government's benefits reach the end user.

In order to make the public aware of the government's schemes, the Chief Minister directed collectors and ministers to work towards setting up Information Walls that will help in better communication with the public. Janmabhoomi ' MaaVooru Boards will be set up at common places of gathering in the villages.

The Chief Minister also stressed on creating a digital repository of land records, which will reduce the burden of visiting MRO's office for every clearance.

The Chief Minister set a three-month deadline for district collectors to set up a time-bound programme to supply gas connections to every household under gas grid - one of the five campaigns. He also directed them to synchronize Aadhar account with gas connections. 'Make Janmabhoomi Committees partners in this,' he added.

Emphasizing on the importance of Waste Disposal, the Chief Minister suggested every municipality to take up Waste to Energy on a campaign mode. The district collectors were asked to identify landfills where garbage segregation can be exercised. 'Our target is to generate 10MW power from waste,' Chief Minister added.

Explaining that financial security to rural women is the first step towards inclusive growth, the Chief Minister directed collectors to ensure proper utilization of corpus fund of Women's Empowerment Corporation. This could be done by generating employment through local resources and re-orienting the women groups, he said.

'Rationalize the process by making the public aware that the scheme is for their safety,' he added.

A mechanism will be put in place to address any issue raised by the district collectors. The team will comprise of Chief Secretary I.Y.R. Krishna Rao, Secretary (Finance) Dr. P.V. Ramesh and CMO. The unresolved issues will be dealt by the Chief Minister who will take necessary action accordingly.

Meanwhile, reviewing about the steps to combat intensive heat wave across the state, the Chief Minister suggested creating extensive awareness among public on the do's and don'ts to brave the heat.

He directed the district management to supply buttermilk and ORS packets by involving local administration. He also suggested setting up drinking water chains in all villages.

Ministers Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao, Siddha Raghava Rao, Prattipati Pulla Rao, Kamineni Srinivas, Kollu Ravindra, Bojjala Gopala Krishna Reddy, Mrunalini, the Chief Secretary, Advisor (Communications) Dr. Parakala Prabhakar, State Planning Board Vice Chairman Kutumba Rao, Principal Secretary to CM Satish Chandra, Secretary to CM Sai Prasad, OSD to CM Venkaiah Chowdary and others were present.