VRAs demand regularisation of services
- Point out that though Telangana regularised the services of village revenue officers, successive govts in AP have not done anything in this direction
- The criticises the previous YSRCP govt for prioritising village volunteers and secretaries while ignoring VRAs
- CPI state secretary Ramakrishna demands CM to keep his promise to VRAs before elections, including hiking wages
Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh Village Revenue Assistants (VRA) Association urged the state government to regularise the services of VRAs and raise their salaries, citing the financial hardships faced by these workers due to inadequate pay.
Association leaders said that around 21,000 VRAs are currently employed in Andhra Pradesh without regularisation of their services. They pointed out that while Telangana regularised the services of its VRAs following the state’s bifurcation, successive governments in Andhra Pradesh have failed to address their demands.
On Monday, the VRA Association held a roundtable at the CPI state office, Dasari Bhavan, to discuss their grievances.
State president N Peddanna and general secretary B Ganesh Rao noted that the previous TDP government had increased VRA wages from Rs 6,500 to Rs 10,500 in 2018, but the subsequent YSRCP government did not implement further raises.
They accused the YSRCP government of neglecting VRAs, prioritising village/ward volunteers instead, and even withdrawing and recovering the Dearness Allowance (DA) previously granted to VRAs.
The association leaders called for the introduction of a formal pay scale, promotions to roles such as Village Revenue Officers (VROs), attenders, and other permanent positions based on qualifications.
They complained that VRAs are often assigned watchman duties at mandal and district-level government offices, a responsibility they argue should not fall to them, and demanded an end to this practice.
CPI state secretary K Ramakrishna echoed the association’s demands, urging the government to regularise VRA services. He criticised the lack of progress in improving VRAs’ lives despite changes in government every five years, condemning the withdrawal of DA under the previous administration and the persistent low wages.
Ramakrishna reminded Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu of the assurances given to VRAs before assuming power and pressed for immediate salary hikes. He pledged to raise the issue with revenue minister Anagani Satya Prasad.
AITUC state president R Ravindranath also expressed solidarity, affirming the trade union’s support for the VRAs in their ongoing struggle.
