Dr Sanjeeva Reddy lauded the services rendered by VOAs in strengthening rural development, empowering women through self-help groups (SHGs), and effectively implementing government welfare programmes at the grassroots level.
Hyderabad: INTUC president Dr G. Sanjeeva Reddy on Tuesday extended support to the demands of village organisation assistants (VOAs), including higher wages, job security and welfare benefits. He said the INTUC would take up the issues with the state government during a statewide delegates’ meeting of VOAs.
Dr Sanjeeva Reddy lauded the services rendered by VOAs in strengthening rural development, empowering women through self-help groups (SHGs), and effectively implementing government welfare programmes at the grassroots level. They deserved due recognition, job security, fair wages, social security, and welfare benefits, he said and added that ensuring justice to these frontline workers was the responsibility of the government.
The INTUC supported key demands such as hiking the wages of VOAs to Rs 26,000 per month, implementing a comprehensive HR policy, bringing all VOAs under the definition of “workmen” so that they are entitled to legal protection and labour rights. The demands also include scrapping of GO No. 58 and a new government order to strengthen the rights, service conditions and welfare measures for VOAs.
The meeting attended by Janak Prasad, chairman, Telangana Minimum Wages Board, along with INTUC state leaders R.D. Chandrasekhar, Naganna Goud and Mogulla Raji Reddy.
