Hyderabad: Gangadevipalli, a model village in every sense of the word, has finally found its place in the sun as Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao chose it to launch his new prestigious “Grama Jyothy” programme recently.
Grama Jyothy is aimed at ushering in the era of “village level planning and development” in the state, and Gangadevipalli has embodied these principles for decades.
The village, under Geesugonda mandal of Warangal district nearly 170km from the state capital, is unlike any other village in the country. It has modern facilities and good infrastructure including concrete roads; a piped drinking water supply system, with its own water purification plant; a community cable system; schools; and a primary medical centre.
At the launch of the Grama Jyothy programme, the Chief Minister said, “Gangadevipalli is an example of what the unity of the people can achieve”. Declaring his support for the village, Rao announced a Rs100 million (Dh5.6 million) grant for various development programmes in the village including a 100 KV power plant and a residential school. “A formal GO [grant order] will be issued tomorrow itself”, he said.
For the few families who don’t own a home in the village, the Chief Minister announced a two-bedroom house. He also set a goal for the village: Gangadvipalli aims to become a mosquito-free area.
With nearly total literacy, voluntary ban on liquor, nearly zero crime rate and healthy sex ratio, the village already enjoys such a reputation that elected representatives from all parts of Telangana, other states and even other countries regularly visit the village to study its model.
“We explain everything to them, and even organise training classes at a nominal charge”, said K Rajamouli, the former sarpanch (chief) of the village, who was credited with most of the reforms and development in the village.
As part of the Grama Jyothy programme, all ministers, members of legislative assembly and the council, and other elected representatives will adopt a village to develop into a model village through the participation of locals in planning and executing those plans, keeping in mind their local requirements and demands.
The state government has earmarked an amount of Rs250 billion towards the programme.
Referring to the unique system of Gangadevipalli, the Chief Minister said: “people are here are full of confidence that they can achieve anything on their own. This is commendable”.
He lauded the system, under which the people of the village had the last word in matters of proposing, planning, sanctioning and executing any public work in the village.
He urged every village to adopt the same model and become confident and self-sufficient.
Many other distinctions of Gangadevipalli village exist including a 100 per cent Life Insurance cover for every family, immunisation, zero child mortality, 100 per cent repayment of agricultural loans, compulsory membership to self-help groups for women, and mandatory participation of every household in the process of development through committees.
