Officials interact with villagers of Devalampeta ST Colony regarding DA-JGUA initiative

District officials holding a gram sabha at Devalampeta ST Colony in Chittoor district on Wednesday.

The Chittoor district administration conducted a gram sabha at the ST Colony of Devalampeta village in Jagamarla panchayat of Palamaner mandal, on Wednesday. They interacted with the villagers regarding the implementation of the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DA-JGUA), a national-level initiative launched by the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs on October 2, 2024.

District Tribal Welfare and Empowerment officer S. Murthy, Groundwater Department deputy director Govardhan Reddy, along with senior officials of the Skill Development and Fisheries Department, took part in the programme. They highlighted the need for coordination among departments to ensure all government welfare schemes reach tribal areas promptly.

Devalampeta ST Colony, with a total of 194 households, of which 110 are tribal, was chosen under the DA-JGUA initiative to ensure focused and sustainable rural development. The initiative aims at offering access to health, education, basic infrastructure, and livelihood opportunities for the tribal population. Mr. Murthy urged the departments of DRDA, Education, Health, Women and Child Welfare, Panchayat Raj, Rural Water Supply, Electricity, Agriculture, Telecom, and Employment to frequently conduct field visits and fix the problem areas.

Meanwhile, the villagers brought to the notice of the officials key issues faced by them, such as lack of safe drinking water, absence of a drainage system, lack of anganwadis, Aadhaar cards, and inability to obtain bank loans for the purchase of cattle and sheep.

In reply, the officials informed the residents that a detailed project report (DPR) for water and drainage works had been submitted to the district authorities, while a mini anganwadi centre had already been sanctioned.

Published - June 04, 2025 07:03 pm IST