Village and forest development, besides road construction and repair works taken up by the Panchayat Raj & Rural Development (PR & RD) Department at a cost of nearly ₹8,022 crore, have given a fillip to the economic development of the Rayalaseema region.

A press release issued by Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for PR & RD and Environment & Forests K. Pawan Kalyan on Sunday said the amount included ₹4,523 crore for more than 23,000 road works, including BT and CC roads, covering 5,238 km.

Steps were taken to support horticulture on 62,000 acres through the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar & Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), benefiting 28,000 farmers. Focus was also laid on improving groundwater levels through the construction of farm ponds and soak pits.

Other works in progress include water conservation, drinking water supply, employment generation, construction of cattle sheds for dairy farmers and sanitation. The construction of farm ponds alone had brought an additional 50,000 acres under cultivation across Rayalaseema, Mr. Kalyan said.

Three mega drinking water supply schemes were also being implemented under the Jal Jeevan Mission and Amarajeevi Jaladhara.

A total of 41,614 farm ponds had been constructed at a cost of nearly ₹167 crore, while another 29,902 had been sanctioned under the next phase, he said.

More than ₹200 crore had been spent on the cultivation of horticultural crops across nearly 62,000 acres in two phases.

Wild elephant menace

In view of the menace posed by wild elephants, Mr. Kalyan had a training camp set up in the Palamaner constituency, where trained ‘Kunki’ elephants are sheltered. The elephants had completed 15 operations, helping reduce human-elephant conflicts by 75%, he said.