Chittoor: Deputy Chief Minister and minister for panchayat raj and rural development Pawan Kalyan said that the NDA coalition government is committed to establishing village self-governance (gram swarajya) as envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi. To this end, divisional development officers have been appointed at division level for the panchayat raj and rural development department.

The Deputy CM inaugurated 77 divisional development offices (DDOs) set up across the state from here in a virtual event on Thursday.

Panchayat raj and rural development commissioner R Krishna Teja, district collector Sumit Kumar, MLAs Gurajala Jagan Mohan, Arani Srinivasulu, Mayor Amuda, Chuda chairperson Katari Hemalatha and others participated in the programme.

Speaking on the occasion, Pawan Kalyan said the NDA government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu was supporting the state with cooperation and reforms in the panchayat raj and rural development sectors inspired by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment.

The new DDOs will be staffed with DDOs, DLPOs, APD staff and DWAMA officials, who will help each panchayat operate independently and meet local needs efficiently. These offices will integrate and monitor government welfare and development activities continuously.

He also referred to past promotion issues for officials, explaining that many faced delays and seniority problems. These have been resolved with promotions given to around 10,000 employees.

He explained that district panchayat and zilla parishad have been unified, and senior officials upgraded in rank. At the village level, 7,244 clusters were dissolved, creating 13,350 village panchayats as self-governing bodies. Each panchayat now has a dedicated secretary, and larger panchayats have officers to oversee development.

Panchayat secretaries have been re-graded and renamed as panchayat development officers. An IT wing has been created to strengthen panchayat raj institutions. Officials are expected to work closely from district to village levels, providing better services to the people, he added.

Panchayat raj commissioner Krishna Teja said recent governance reforms include new government orders establishing divisional offices for panchayat raj, similar to those in revenue and police departments, giving senior officers a better role. Group 1 officers can fill these posts, providing opportunities for youth jobs.

District collector Sumit Kumar said these reforms would boost governance and strengthen the panchayat raj and rural development departments. The divisional development offices will have powers similar to revenue officers and oversee welfare schemes like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and others. Infrastructure for these offices is being provided from district funds.

Agriculture minister K Atchannaidu, civil supplies minister Nadendla Manohar, endowments minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy and BC welfare minister S Savitha also participated in the programme virtually.