The mandal system was introduced as an administrative reform to make governance more efficient by reducing the size of the larger, previously existing taluks. The decentralization aimed at improving revenue administration, record-keeping, and enhancing the reach of the panchayati raj system. As part of the middle tier of the panchayati raj structure, mandals replaced the former panchayat samitis in Andhra Pradesh during the tenure of the
Telugu Desam Party government led by
N. T. Rama Rao on May 25, 1985. The reform was inspired by the recommendations of the
Ashok Mehta Committee. The expectation was that the division of large taluks into smaller mandals would lead to more manageable administrative units and allow closer oversight of the revenue administration by the state government. Each taluk generally comprises four to five mandals, forming more localized sub-units within districts. == Mandals ==