In yet another decision aimed at erasing the legacy of the previous YSR Congress party government in Andhra Pradesh led by Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, the present Telugu Desam Party-led coalition government is preparing to take a key administrative decision — renaming the Village and Ward Secretariat system.
The system was introduced during the YSRCP regime, aimed at bringing the administration to the doorstep of the people.
The Naidu government that came to power in June 2024 did not do away with the system but has made significant changes in the system.
The government has begun collecting public and administrative feedback on the proposal, which is part of a larger plan to rebrand the grassroots governance mechanism to reflect the vision of the current coalition government.
According to sources, Naidu has proposed renaming the secretariats as “Swarnandhra Kendrams” (Golden Andhra Centres) as part of his long-term “Swarnandhra Vision 2047” development framework.
The final decision is expected after further discussions within the government and the state cabinet.
The proposal was discussed recently by Naidu with senior party leaders at the TDP headquarters, where several suggestions were considered regarding the new nomenclature and structure.
The Village and Ward Secretariat system, launched on October 2, 2019, during Jagan Mohan Reddy’s tenure, was one of the flagship governance initiatives of the YSRCP government.
It aimed to deliver all citizen services — from welfare schemes to pensions — directly at the local level.
Over 1.5 lakh employees were recruited for this purpose, and a parallel volunteer system was introduced to assist in door-to-door delivery of services.
Since coming to power, the Naidu-led coalition government has phased out the volunteer system, transferring service delivery responsibilities entirely to the Secretariat staff.
However, Jagan continues to publicly claim the secretariat model as one of his government’s greatest administrative reforms.
Now, with the name change proposal, the government intends to retain the structure but remove Jagan’s imprint from it.
As part of this transition, officials have reportedly finalized a new job charter for secretariat employees, redefining their roles in welfare and public service delivery.
Political analysts see the move as part of the ruling coalition’s effort to assert administrative ownership and align local governance with its broader development narrative.
The rebranding exercise, if approved by the cabinet, will mark the first major institutional overhaul of a system that remains central to governance at the grassroots level in Andhra Pradesh.