APCC President Raghuveera Reddy Open Letter to Governor of Andhra Pradesh

 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Date: 25-06-2019
 
 
To,
His Excellency,
The Governor of Andhra Pradesh,
Raj Bhavan,
Hyderabad.
 
Respected Sir,
 
SUB: REQUESTING YOU TO DIRECT THE ANDHRA PRADESH GOVERNMENT TO APPOINT VILLAGE VOLUNTEERS STRICTLY ON MERIT BASIS - REGARDING.
*******
 
On behalf of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee, we wish to bring to your kind notice about the lapses and nepotism of the A.P. Government’s proposal in appointing the village volunteers, to oversee the implementation of government welfare schemes.
 
At the outset, we wish to make it clear that we are not against the concept of having the village volunteer’s appointment. On behalf of lakhs of unemployed youth, we are insisting the appointments through merit basis and not on the basis of the interview method.
 
What is of deep concern is the government’s proposal to literally “appoint” party workers as volunteers on payment of Rs 5,000 a month, this costs about Rs 7,500 crores to the public exchequer for five years.
 
Sir, the YSR Congress leaders have made it explicitly clear that their party cadre would be appointed to these posts. YSR Parliamentary Party leader Mr Vijay Sai Reddy and advisor to government, Mr Ajay Kallam on 14 June 2019 making statements to such effect (enclosed the News Paper Clippings).
 
This being so what is being done is directly absorbing the party cadre into the government structure. For instance, a party worker in a village would be appointed as village volunteer tomorrow and this would be done without rhyme or reason. This is dangerous and even pernicious to a democratic process and a democratic structure.
 
The government of Andhra Pradesh is going to appoint as many as 2 lakh party workers as volunteers by this method.
 
The government has issued GO Ms No. 104 dated 22 June 2019 and GO Ms No. 201 dated 23 June 2019 regarding the appointment of village volunteers. GOs have been issued without due application of mind causing confusion and tension to lakhs of youth right across the state. The GOs are disturbing as they are clearly structured to appoint YSR Congress leaders as village volunteers.
 
The government issued guidelines where the one who is applying for the post should have passed the tenth standard in tribal and agency areas, Intermediate in the village level and a degree in municipal areas.
 
Now the applicants would be interviewed by MPDO in the village level and municipal commissioner in the municipal areas and then appointed by these respective officers who are the appointing authorities.
 
As per the guidelines, there is no clarity regarding the appointment of volunteers. The question is why the government is not taking marks as the criteria. For instance, there are two applicants. A has 500 marks and B has 400 marks. A is not a party worker while B is YSR Congress cadre. So B is selected by the interviewers. It is open favouritism at the cost of the public exchequer. Rank injustice is being done to a meritorious, unemployed youth at the cost of open discrimination to the YSR Congress party worker.

Sir, on behalf of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee we pray to your kind self to direct the government of AP to:
 
1)  Ensure that marks are taken as the basic criteria for the appointments of village volunteers.
2)  Ensure that weight age is given to additional educational qualifications.
3)  Ensure that the interview boards limit themselves to verifying caste, educational and nativity certificates. They should not be allowed to pick and choose individuals as village volunteers.
4)  Ensure that the list of applicants and the list of selected candidates be prominently displayed at the village the municipal ward level.
5)  Ensure that the rule of reservations should be implemented.
6)  Ensure that applications are accepted both online and offline due to issues of bandwidth connectivity in various areas.
 
Sir, We request you to kindly direct the Andhra Pradesh government to keep the said G.O.s in abeyance and issue fresh G.O.s for appointing AP of Village Volunteers by taking the above issues raised by us into consideration, and do justice to the lakhs of unemployed youth in the state.
 
Thanking you,
 
Yours sincerely


   (Dr.N.RAGHUVEERA REDDY)