Babu To Bring Back Volunteers?

Volunteers, who had played a key role during the YCP government’s rule, have gone obscure for some time with the TDP coalition assuming charge. Now, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is planning to use their services for a wide range of activities and increase their importance in the administration.

The YCP appointed as many as 2.3 lakh volunteers across the state and former CM Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had given them an honorarium of Rs 5,000 per month for acting as a bridge between the beneficiaries of various schemes and the government. Undisputedly, many people had benefited from their services, setting aside a few sporadic cases though.

Before the Assembly elections, TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu strategically announced that the services of the volunteers would be utilized uninterruptedly. He even said that the Rs 5,000 honorarium would be increased to Rs 10,000. However, the volunteers had not been brought onto the scene even after 70 days of the TDP coalition government assuming charge.

Just a few days ago, when the MLCs raised questions about the volunteers and their whereabouts, the minister concerned replied that he had no clue about the issue.

However, the TDP coalition has now reportedly decided to utilize their services and make them play a prominent role in the administration. The authorities also made it clear that the payment due of Rs 5,000 would also be paid to them at the earliest and from thence, their honorarium would be hiked to Rs 10,000.

Apart from distributing the pensions every month, they would also be tasked with various other services like skill census in the future. The TDP coalition government made it clear that the services of volunteers and village/ward Secretariats would not be ignored and neglected.

According to information, apart from utilizing their services in the government administration, each of them would also be entrusted with the responsibility to look into details of 100 families. It may be recalled that during the YCP rule, each volunteer had to look into the benefits being drawn by only 50 households while now, the number would be doubled.