Village Secretariats and Volunteers system are the two lifelines of YSR Congress Government. They are brought into penetrate into the rural fabric and have a hold on the groundlevel voters with welfare schemes. But then, the Village Secretariat system is likely to be at risk now.
A sarpanch approached Andhra Pradesh High Court saying that the Village Secretariats are infringing the powers of Sarpanchs and Panchayats. The court opined that the Secretariats violate the 73rd amendment of the Indian Constitution.
The court has questioned the government why there is a need for village Secretariat when there are Panchayats already. The Government counsel informed the court that Village Secretariats do not infringe the powers of Panchayats and are only brought in for better implementation of the welfare schemes.
The court questioned why the welfare schemes can not be implemented better by strengthening the Panchayats. Going by the comments made by the court, the Government may lose the Village Secretariat. If that happens, it will be the biggest legal blow for Jagan Government till date.
