It Is Not A Job But Voluntary Service: Jagan

After Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy increased the remuneration of the ration delivery volunteers to Rs 21,000 a month, the village and ward volunteers hit the roads demanding that their salary should also be hiked and that they should be provided job security.

They said that it was unfair on the part of the government to increase the salary of the ration delivery volunteers by Rs 5,000 within days of getting recruited while confining their salaries to Rs 5,000 a month despite working for the last 18 months. They termed it injustice and the village, ward volunteers staged demonstrations at many places in Andhra Pradesh.

Reacting on the development, Jagan wrote a letter to the volunteers greeting them “Chellemmalu, Tammullu”.

The CM reminded them that the literal meaning of volunteers is doing social service voluntarily. He asked them to understand that they were doing services not as part of a job but willingly and voluntarily .

In the letter, he said that he came to know some volunteers are on the warpath demanding a hike in their salary without knowing the ground reality, and that it pained him.

He made it clear to them that during their induction, the government had mentioned in the handbook that youth having an intention to do social service would be appointed as volunteers with an honorarium of Rs 5,000 per month and that each of them would have to act as a bridge between the people and the village/ward secretariat. Each of them will have to cater to the needs of 50 houses in each ward. The CM asked them to read the handbook again or recall his words at that time.

He also said that the volunteers were told that they could provide the voluntary services till they get a better opportunity.

In the letter, Jagan clarified that the volunteers were providing services only 3 days a week and that there was no restriction either on the duration or the number of days they should be available. He reminded them that they had been rendering services to the villagers as per their convenience.

“You will have the blessings of the poor because you have been providing the services voluntarily expecting no returns. It is because you have provided such services that the villagers are treating you like angels and respecting you. Will they give you respect if you had provided the services taking salaries,” he asked.

The society will respect and felicitate volunteers providing quality services in each Assembly constituency on a given day every year. Even the elected representatives, collectors and higher officials will be a part of that programme, he said.

He appealed to the volunteers to continue providing their services without getting influenced by distractors trying to crush the volunteer system in the state. He urged them to understand the ploy of those hatching a conspiracy behind them.

He also told the volunteers that the conspirators were trying to prevent them from getting a good name in the society.