Vizianagaram: ZBNF field staff not paid salaries for 7 months

Vizianagaram: The field staff in agriculture sector working under Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) programme, being monitored and implemented by the Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS), has not been paid salaries for the last seven months.

The RySS has an agreement with 36 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from all over the State and it has been paying the salaries for the field staff like cluster activists (CA) and cluster resource persons (CRP) and internal cluster resource persons.

The salary fixed for CAs is Rs 12,000 and the CRPs Rs 20,000 a month. The field staff is playing a key role in implementing the State sponsored natural farming. They are visiting every village and educating farmers on the natural farming.

They even prepared Ghana Jeevamruthams, Drava Jeevamrutham, herbal extracts to eradicate pests and diseases for those crops. Around 1,000 field staff is working for the past five months without salaries. N Vasantha, a poor tribal girl working under the program in Parvathipuram agency, is afflicted with kidney ailments and admitted to hospital in Visakhapatnam. She has been requesting the authorities to pay her salaries.

Vasantha, a CRP said, "I have been not paid anything for the past seven months. I am attending every programme assigned by the government. I have been serving 500 farmers under my jurisdiction and motivating them to take up natural farming methods. But I am denied salary. Now I don't have a single rupee to take treatment. I'm looking towards the government for help." she said.

District Collector M Hari Jawaharlal also visited Parvathipuram agency and declared 51 villages as bio villages for adopting 100 per cent ZBNF methods and appreciated the efforts of the field staff for their efforts. The production in ZBNF farms and fields has also abnormally increased in these villages.

D Parinaidu, founder of Jattu Trust and implementing natural farming in Parvathipuram agency said, "The field staff has been working day and night. Even they play short films during nights to create awareness among the farmers, but they are ignored by the government and not paying salaries so far. It is very pathetic.' He said.

K Prakash, district project manager of ZBNF programme, said, "The salaries issue is pending with the higher officials of Agriculture Department. We are pursuing the issue and waiting for a decision." he said.