Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan. | Photo credit: File Photo
Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Panchayat Raj & Rural Development (PR&RD) and Environment & Forest K. Pawan Kalyan on Thursday informed the Legislative Assembly that the government plans to hold Zilla Parishad (ZP) elections based on newly reorganized districts and expressed the government’s commitment to empower local bodies to become self-reliant.
During a discussion on the requests for PR, Rural Development and Forests, Science, Technology and Environment grants amounting to nearly ₹ 27,417 crore, Mr. Pawan Kalyan said that arrangements have been made to align the ZP with the current district boundaries and that there are no legal issues preventing the redistribution of Gram Panchayats (GPs). He said the government has taken various measures to strengthen PR institutions soon after its inception in June 2024 and the results are visible.
Mr. Pawan Kalyan said that the government was considering a new law to make compensation for felled trees to widen roads and carry out other construction works mandatory alternative means. Strict measures have been planned against illegal felling of trees to protect the green cover.
The Forestry Office will henceforth carry out geo-tagging of every sapling it distributes so that their condition can be properly monitored from time to time. Best practices used by nurseries in Bengaluru were studied in order to adopt them back home.
Mr. Pawan Kalyan said that the task force tasked to curb the smuggling of red sanders kept a close watch and auctioned the strains at world market prices as per well laid guidelines to ensure the best possible return to the exchequer.
Published – 05 March 2026 19:12 IST
