E-Paper
Following CM Jagan’s call, lakhs of people participate in ‘clapping programme’
The programme was to applaud the services being rendered by village secretaries in carrying out the benefits of government schemes to the doorsteps of the beneficiaries.
Lakhs of people, YSR Congress party leaders, cadre and official functionaries in Andhra Pradesh on Friday evening clapped their hands to applaud the services being rendered by village secretaries in carrying out the benefits of government schemes to the doorsteps of the beneficiaries.
The programme was taken up at 7 pm following a call given by chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to mark the completion of one year of the concept of Village Secretariats launched on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti last year.
The programme drew inspiration from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call on March 22 wherein he urged the citizens to clap their hands for five minutes to extend solidarity with the frontline warriors fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.
CM Jagan took part in the “clapping” programme at his Tadepalli residence in Amaravati. Minister for municipal administration Botsa Satyanarayana, chief secretary Neelam Sawhney, director-general of Police Gautam Sawang, MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy and other senior officials also joined Jagan in clapping for five minutes.
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All YSRC MPs, MLAs, party leaders and government officials from village level to the state level, besides common people, came out of their respective offices and residences to take part in the clapping programme.
In his message to the people in the afternoon, Jagan called upon the people to display their symbolic appreciation to the village secretaries and volunteers by clapping their hands on the occasion of completion of one year of the village secretariat concept.
State panchayat raj minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy said the symbolic gesture of clapping would give a big boost to the village secretariat employees and village volunteers who have been rendering selfless services to the people.
He said the concept was launched to bring the administration to the doorsteps of the common man. As many as 543 services were being provided through these village secretariats as part of providing corruption-free administration in the state.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Central cabinet secretary also lauded the village secretariat concept,” the minister claimed.
Around 1.26 lakh village secretaries have been appointed to administer these 11,158 village secretariats and 3,786 ward secretariats (as they are called in urban areas), besides, the government also appointed over 2.8 lakh village and ward volunteers to take the services to the doorsteps of the beneficiaries.
While each village secretary is paid a monthly salary of Rs 15,000, each village volunteer appointed on an outsourcing basis is given a monthly remuneration of Rs 5,000. In all, each village/ward secretariat comprises 10-12 employees working under various wings of the government including panchayat raj and rural development, revenue, medical and health, animal husbandry, power, agriculture and social welfare in rural areas and municipal services in urban areas.
