AP government prepares major overhaul of village, ward Secretariat systems

The Andhra Pradesh government is set to implement significant reforms in the village and ward secretariat systems. Following recent changes in the revenue system, the government is now focusing on enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of these local governance bodies.

Currently, Andhra Pradesh has 10,960 village secretariats and 4,044 ward secretariats, employing around 161,000 village and ward secretaries. The government is working on optimizing the deployment of these secretaries to better meet the specific needs of their respective areas. A new cluster system is also being proposed to ensure a more coordinated approach to governance.

The proposals include ensuring that essential personnel such as Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), Village Revenue Officers (VROs), Digital Assistants, Welfare Secretaries, and Women Protection Secretaries are present in rural villages. In urban ward areas, the government plans to appoint Administrative, Sanitary, Education, Welfare, Facilities, Health, and Women Protection Secretaries.

Additionally, there is a plan to integrate the remaining secretaries into the cluster system, with discussions underway to bring village secretariat secretaries under the jurisdiction of the Panchayati Raj system. Since coming to power, the AP government, led by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu as part of the TDP-Janasena-BJP alliance, has been making several significant decisions to improve governance and public service delivery.