Telangana introduces unified village development planning framework

The Telangana government has introduced a comprehensive village development planning framework to integrate various departmental schemes, strengthen accountability and ensure systematic monitoring of development activities at the grassroots level.

The Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department issued an order (G.O. No. 42) on October 27, notifying the Telangana Gram Panchayat Samagra Abhivruddhi Pranalika (GPSAP) Rules, 2026, making it mandatory for all gram panchayats (GP) to prepare integrated development plans covering infrastructure, employment, housing, livelihoods and welfare programmes.

While comprehensive village planning is already practised in several States, Telangana’s new framework seeks to bring existing plans and departmental activities under a common planning and monitoring mechanism with clearly defined responsibilities.

Under the new rules, every Gram Panchayat must prepare an Integrated Perspective Development Plan covering three to five years, along with an annual action plan. Significantly, the government has stipulated that a financial outlay of 125% of the previous year’s finances and expected finances for the current year should be considered while preparing the perspective development plan.

Household-wise information

The rules also require Panchayat Secretaries to collect and maintain household-wise information on employment, housing, landless labourers, vulnerable groups, livestock, assets and beneficiaries of government schemes. The information must be computerised and updated every month through an online portal.

Unlike the existing practice of preparing separate development plans under various schemes, the new framework seeks to integrate the GPDP and Viksit Gram Panchayat Plan (VGPP), prepared under the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025, with the GPSAP.

The initiative is also intended to align village-level planning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which have been localised into nine themes by the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj. The GPSAP framework will also form part of the Rural and Agri Region Economy (RARE) component of Telangana Rising 2047.