2.

Vision for Smart Village-Smart Ward - Community

Action Catalysed by Partner(s)
There are various welfare and development programmes initiated by the government, which
have varying degrees of achievement of outcomes; at the same time a lot remains to be achieved.
A general observation is that these programmes
need to have a holistic view of the village instead
Honble Chief Minister,
of being focused on the programme and
Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu says, Not
departmental objectives only. The issue of inter-
departmental convergence, participation and just smart cities, my vision is to make
governance of the programme are also often smart towns and smart villages too, thus
cited as a reason for under-achievement of making a smart State by taking smart
outcomes of the programmes. The government decisions, using smart technology and
is of the opinion that the outcomes of the with the help of smart manpower.
ongoing programmes can be optimised through
the participation and empowerment of the
stakeholders and local leadership. At the same time, when the World is moving ahead from the 8
Millennium Development Goals paradigm to 17 Sustainable Development Goals, we must also
move in sync with the global transformation initiative.

Smart Village-Smart Ward, towards Smart Andhra Pradesh initiative focuses on

improved resource-use efficiency, empowered local self-governance, access to assured basic
amenities and responsible individual and community behaviour to build a vibrant and happy
society.

In tune with the Honble Prime Ministers call to the members of parliament to provide leadership
and work in partnership with the local communities, the Government of Andhra Pradesh seeks
partnerships in 12,918 Gram Panchayats and 3,465 Wards. It appeals to public representatives
(like Ministers, MPs, MLCs, MLAs, Mayors), film personalities, celebrities, NRIs, NRVs,
corporate houses, officers viz. IAS/IPS/IFS and other officers, NGOs and volunteers etc. to partner
a village/ward. They can do this by handholding the development process on the above aspects,
in addition to innovations and good practices, to rejuvenate energies, especially among children,
women and marginalised groups.

Building on the existing Missions, Campaigns, Grids, Programmes and Schemes of the State and
Central Government, the Smart Village-Smart Ward programme intends to achieve SMART
infrastructure, SMART service delivery, SMART technology and innovation, SMART institutions
along with optimal mobilisation and utilisation of available resources, leading to faster and more
inclusive growth.

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Being Smart also means having vision, the ability to foresee and to learn best practices from
others be it an individual, a community, a Gram Panchayat/Ward, a city or a country. Being a
continuous process, it also means acquiring better processes and better equipment with latest
knowhow. Being smart means not only acquiring the latest knowledge but also acting upon it.
Until an idea gets converted into action, it will not serve the purpose.

Expected outcomes of programme

a. Villages (Gram Panchayats)/Wards take collective responsibility to realise their shared
vision of development

b. Partnerships to guide and demonstrate innovations, latest affordable technologies, and

resources to facilitate and accelerate participatory, inclusive and sustainable
development within Gram Panchayats/Wards

c. Trigger processes to strengthen on-going services and schemes for effectiveness and
efficiency in equitable access and utilisation of entitlements

d. Significant improvement in the identified development commitments

A Smart Village/Ward encompasses sustainable and inclusive development of all sections of its
community, so they enjoy a high standard of living. The 100 per cent achievement of the
following basic amenities, outcomes and services in a definite time frame, is a non-negotiable
condition for moving towards Smart Village-Smart Ward:

1. Homes for all with access to toilet, safe-drinking water, and regular power

2. Every household has diversified livelihood opportunities and/or micro-enterprise

3. SHGs and youths have access to skills development and Village Enterprise Development
with bank and market linkages

4. End open defecation

5. Has functional solid/liquid waste management system

6. End all preventable maternal deaths and infant deaths

7. 100 per cent institutional deliveries

8. Zero school drop outs of boys and girls up to 12th class

9. Functional toilet, potable water, electricity available in Anganwadi Centres, schools,

health centres, GP/Ward buildings

10. Malnutrition free (children below 9 years of age)

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 11. No girl-child marriages (girls below 18 years of age)

12. Every farm has soil health card, enriched essential micro-nutrients and diversification
with livestock and trees

13. Every village household has a functional bank account/PM Jan Dhan Bank Account

14. Every GP/Ward has its own dynamic development plan prepared by community
participation

15. Every GP/Ward has green trees all over its geographic boundaries

16. Every GP/Ward has functional water conservation and harvesting structures

17. Every GP/Ward has functional Information Centre, Computer Lab, and Mee-Seva Centre

18. Every GP/Ward has telecom/internet connectivity

19. Gram Sabha/Ward Sabha are held four times a year with minimum two-thirds
attendance

20. Every GP/Ward has a functional grievance redressal system

To achieve the Smart Village/Ward status, the community, individually and collectively, will be
empowered to take smart decisions using smart technologies and with the support of smart
manpower and by managing to be self-sufficient. Partner(s) will be encouraged to bring in
innovative ideas, technology and resources and disseminate information on best practices to
facilitate and accelerate the process. They may also interface between the community and the
service providers to achieve the last-mile reach to the most marginalised and the vulnerable.

Achievement of the Smart Village/Ward status will be monitored on the above listed development
commitments/indicators against the baseline and agreed milestones over the span of five years.
Once a village/ward achieves the key development commitments/indicators, it will self-declare
as a Smart Village/Smart Ward and display it on the village/ward information board erected at a
public place/entrance of the Gram Panchayat/Ward office.

Approaches
The Smart Village-Smart Ward programme will adopt the following approach in achieving its
outcomes with Swachh Village/Ward and sustainable development of resources as overall
guiding principle:
1. Engaging with and mobilising the community for participatory local level development;
2. Converging government schemes and private and voluntary initiatives with peoples
aspirations and local potential to achieve comprehensive development;

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 3. Leveraging the leadership, capacity, commitment and energy of the Partners, who
volunteer to join in this task;

4. Building partnerships with voluntary organisations, co-operatives, academic and

research institutions;

5. Attention to a life-cycle approach and gender sensitization;

6. Focusing on outcomes and sustainability;

7. Protecting local traditions and heritage of the village; and

8. Above all, a participative approach of the GP/Ward with their Partners, to develop and
manage for self-reliant development.

Strategies in Smart Village-Smart Ward Programme

1. Capacity Development and Empowerment at individual, group and institutional level to help
ensure the demand, delivery, reach and use of quality services. This includes identifying
systemic bottlenecks, gaps, improving data analysis and monitoring, enhancing appropriate
technical and entrepreneurial skills, and promoting social norms and behaviours favourable
to the realisation of village/community development.

2. Social and Behavioural Change at community and individual levels:

Identifying, promoting and strengthening favourable social norms and addressing those
that hinder the realisation of holistic development;

Promoting behaviour and practices favourable to realisation of human rights;

Empowering and enabling actors promoting rights of disadvantaged sections, women and
children to have a stronger voice and more influence; and

Increasing demand for entitlements in terms of social services.

3. Bottom-up planning and Good Governance: The 73rd and the 74th Amendments to Indias
Constitution mandating elected governments at the district and sub district level, to guide and
oversee the formulation of decentralised District Plans based on the collation of bottom-up
plans from the rural and urban local self-governments. The aim is to anchor the various
micro-planning processes within the Panchayati Raj Institutions and urban local bodies.

4. Partnership and Collaborations: The programme will engage in a broad range of partnerships
(based on a written agreement and which may involve the exchange of resources) and
collaborative relationships (based on an informal agreement and not involving transfer of
resources), with many of them evolving over time. Such partnerships will be created with the

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 Partner(s), resource organisations, civil society organisations, academia, media, etc. in
support of achievement of the results under the five programme components social, human,
environment, economic and governance.

5. Technology, Communication and Innovation: To achieve the Smart Village-Smart Ward

status, the community, individually and collectively, will be empowered to take smart
decisions using smart technologies, communication and innovations. The Partner(s) will be
encouraged to bring in innovative ideas, technologies and resources and disseminate
information on global and local best practices to facilitate learning and accelerate
achievement of the programme outcomes.

6. Best Practices and Knowledge Management: Introduction of innovations, new ideas and best
practices of self-management is the key feature as well as an important strategy of the
programme. Knowledge management, as a key programme strategy, will focus on
strengthening both capacities and systems of the community, partner(s), government and
other participants so that the programme is continually evaluated and the learning
documented and disseminated for improvement and as evidence of the efficacy of the
programmes approach and strategy. It will also generate strong evidence for policy
formulation and for replication or scaling-up. Towards this, all participating stakeholders will
support the government in measuring and evaluating programme results.

7. Social Protection and Social Inclusion to reduce inequalities among marginalised and
disadvantaged groups, and to support them through new/existing social protection
programmes.

8. Gender Sensitization

9. Participatory Planning and Management Improving Management Bandwidth

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