Good News for Unanimously Elected Gram Panchayats

The Andhra Pradesh government is planning to significantly increase financial incentives for Gram Panchayats that elect their representatives unanimously without holding a contest. The move comes ahead of the upcoming Gram Panchayat elections, which will be conducted in three phases. Following the release of the election schedule by the State Election Commission, the first-phase notification is expected to be issued. The government is also expected to release an official order detailing the revised incentive scheme.

Under the proposed structure, Panchayats with a population of up to 5,000 will receive ₹15 lakh if elected unanimously. Those with a population between 5,001 and 10,000 will be eligible for ₹25 lakh, while Panchayats with more than 10,000 people will receive ₹50 lakh. The earlier scheme offered incentives ranging from ₹5 lakh to ₹20 lakh across four population categories. The revised plan reduces the categories to three and raises the maximum incentive to ₹50 lakh.