Vijayawada: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu announced on Friday that the Centre will soon release over Rs 1,000 crore for Panchayats to accelerate development projects, emphasizing that village development is crucial for national progress.
During a Grama Sabha at Vanapalli village in the Kothapeta Assembly constituency of Dr. BR Ambedkar Konaseema district, Naidu stated:
“We have previously released Rs 998 crore for Panchayats, which was misappropriated by the previous government. We will now release Rs 1,100 crore to advance development work in these Panchayats.”
On the same day, the State government conducted 13,326 Grama Sabhas across the State. Ministers, MLAs, and other elected representatives participated in these village meetings to identify and approve development projects.
Naidu described the event as historic and praised Deputy Chief Minister and Panchayat Raj Minister Pawan Kalyan for initiating the Gram Sabhas.
Criticizing the previous government for neglecting the role of Sarpanches, Naidu emphasized their importance for village development, equating them to MLAs in their respective constituencies.
Naidu also committed to increasing the workdays under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme from 15 crore to 21.5 crore.
He accused the previous administration of neglecting Panchayats, stating that no roads were constructed in any village over the last five years. 
Regarding the new sand policy, Naidu announced it will be launched on September 11, with plans to deliver sand directly to buyers who register with the Secretariat.
In response to YSRC chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's request for Leader of Opposition status, Naidu remarked that such status is granted by the electorate, not demanded or obtained through threats.